A500

Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the potential economic impact of the new A500 through Stoke-on-Trent.

Stephen Ladyman: The potential economic impact of the new A500 through Stoke on Trent was assessed as set out in the Department of Transport, Local Government and the Regions (DTLR) document 'Guidance on the Methodology for Multi-Modal Studies' (GOMMS, 2000).
	The GOMMS approach to assessment includes various objectives against which schemes are to be assessed, one of which is Economy.
	The Economy objective comprises Transport Economic Efficiency, Reliability and Wider Economic Impacts.
	With regard to Transport Economy Efficiency, the quantitative economic modelling carried out before start of works in 2004 shows that the A500 Scheme has a Benefit to Cost Ratio of 4.0. The Benefit to Cost Ratio is a measure of the economic efficiency, and is calculated by dividing the benefits by the costs, and a BCR of four is considered 'High' Value for Money.
	With regard to Reliability, the qualitative assessment shows that the A500 Scheme has a positive 'Beneficial' impact.
	With regard to Wider Economic Impacts, the qualitative assessment shows that the A500 Scheme lies within and will directly serve the Stoke-on-Trent designated regeneration area, and that Development will depend upon the A500 Scheme.
	The results of the assessments are included in an Appraisal Summary Table, which was presented at the Public Inquiry in November 2002.

Travel Costs

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much was spent on foreign travel by his Department in each of the last eight years.

Gillian Merron: The Department was formed in May 2002. Three of the Departments agencies, Driver and Vehicle Agency, the Highways Agency, and Vehicle and Operator Services Agency, do not record details of overseas travel separately from other travel and subsistence costs, and the information could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. Figures for the Department and its remaining agencies are contained in the following table:
	
		
			  £ 
			   2003-04  2004-05  2005-06 
			 DfT(c) 1,682,041 1,825,175 1,595,447 
			 DSA 33,000 29,000 33,000 
			 DVLA — — — 
			 HA — — — 
			 MCA 931,875 1,278,135 868,867 
			 VGA 277,000 245,000 349,574 
			 VOSA — — — 
			 GCDA 157.00 186.00 177.00 
		
	
	The figure stated for DfT(c) for financial year 2004-05 differs from that included in the answer my hon. Friend the Member for Tamworth (Mr. Jenkins) on 16 February 2006,  Official Report, column 2407W. It is with regret that in the earlier answer, the cost of domestic flights was included in error. The air travel element in the current table consists entirely of international flights.
	All travel in the Department and its agencies complied with the requirements of the "Civil Service Management Code".

Road Safety

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he plans to introduce continued driver development by making Pass Plus or similar schemes compulsory to try to reduce the number of people killed or seriously injured.

Stephen Ladyman: There are no plans to introduce continuous driver development for car drivers but from autumn 2008 and 2009 respectively bus and lorry drivers will be required to hold a Certificate of Professional Competence which will include a requirement for continuing training in order to drive vocationally. A research project has recently been let to consider how to increase the take-up of the Pass Plus scheme.

Road Safety

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the effect on road traffic casualties of the Hazard Perception Test since 2002.

Stephen Ladyman: Hazard Perception Testing was introduced as part of the theory test in November 2002. No specific assessments have been carried out into its impact on casualty rates.
	The Department is undertaking a research study, 'The Cohort Study of Learner and Novice drivers II', which will include an assessment comparing the effect on casualty rates of newly qualified drivers who took the Hazard Perception Test against those who did not. The results of that study will be published in 2007.

Train Usage

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many  (a) locomotives,  (b) multiple units,  (c) freight wagons and  (d) carriages are in use on the rail network, broken down by (i) train operating company and (ii) class.

Derek Twigg: Tables have been placed in the Libraries of the House, which give details of the number of locomotives, multiple units and carriages, used by UK franchised passenger train operators, broken down by train operating company and class. Vehicles operated by non-franchised operators such as Network Rail, open access and charter operators are not included. Details of the numbers of freight vehicles used on the network are not held centrally.
	This information is based on latest available data but minor variations in the figures can be expected due to ongoing activities such as short term vehicle hiring, the introduction of new fleets and the withdrawal of older vehicles.

Ministerial Duties

Tim Boswell: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what changes to his ministerial duties have occurred since May.

John Prescott: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by right hon. Friend the Prime Minister on Wednesday , 17 May 2006,  Official Report, column 985W, and to my letter of appointment as Deputy Prime Minister and First Secretary of State, a copy of which is available in the Library of the House.

Sino-British Trade

Neil Turner: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what recent discussions he has had with the Chinese Government on encouraging Sino-British trade and investment.

John Prescott: The hon. Member may be aware that I visited China in February this year.
	This visit enabled me to meet several very senior members of the Chinese administration, including:
	Premier Wen Jibao
	Jia Qinglin, Chairman of the Peoples Political Consultative Conference
	State Councillor Tang
	The Chief Executive of Hong Kong Donald Tsang
	The Mayor of Beijing.
	Trade and investment formed an important part of the discussions we had. I was also able to close the successful UK-China Partners in Science year in Shanghai.
	Trade and investment is one of core issues considered by the China taskforce, which I chair at the request of my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister. Its work offers strategic direction in five key sectors—finance, energy, information and communications technology (ICT), healthcare and water—areas where the UK has world-class expertise and where Chinese demand is growing rapidly. We are encouraging Chinese companies to invest in the UK—particularly those from high value added sectors such as ICT and high performance engineering.
	While in China, I was also honoured to be invited to open Nottingham university's new campus in Ningbo. Deepening educational links—particularly in the higher education sector—is vital to allowing the UK to tap into the large pool of well-qualified Chinese graduates, and encouraging Chinese students to come to the UK. Greater understanding and interchange will help both our economies profit in the long term.

Admiralty House

Stephen Hammond: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the cost of his official residence in Admiralty House was to the public purse in 2005-06.

John Prescott: Final figures are not yet available. The cost will be accounted for in the department's annual report and accounts in the usual way.

Child Protection

Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps his Department is taking to encourage appropriate representation of military establishments on local safeguarding children boards; and if he will make a statement.

Tom Watson: The Ministry of Defence recognises the importance of proper representation on Local Safeguarding Children Boards (LSCB) and there has been service membership of preceding bodies, particularly Child Protection Committees, where appropriate. The plans for a MOD Children's Board will provide an additional focus for improved interaction between military establishments and LSCB in England and the equivalent bodies in UK more generally.

Departmental Hospitality

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will keep a separate record of the amount spent annually by his Department on alcohol for hospitality purposes.

Tom Watson: Records are kept of overall expenditure on official hospitality, but there is no separate record of the amount spent on alcohol, nor are there any plans to do so. Expenditure in the Department is conducted in accordance with the principles of Government Accounting and comprehensive guidance is issued to staff about expenditure on official hospitality, including situations in which alcohol may be provided at public expense.

Mine Clearance

Julian Brazier: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what mine clearance equipment is available to Light Forces; what mine clearance equipment is deployed in  (a) Afghanistan and  (b) Iraq; how many mine clearance projects have been completed in each of the last three years, broken down by country; and how many projects are pending, broken down by country.

Adam Ingram: Light Forces are equipped with appropriate mine clearance equipment for the tasks and environments in which they operate.
	I am withholding information regarding the specific mine clearance equipment available to Light Forces and deployed in Afghanistan and Iraq, as disclosure of such information would have a bearing on our operational security and place our servicemen and women at risk.
	UK forces do not undertake mine clearance projects. They undertake routine clearance tasks only that are essential to the protection of UK forces during an operation. Humanitarian mine clearance projects are undertaken by specialist contractors, paid for and coordinated by the Department for International Development.

Operation Telic

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on how many occasions helicopters have been grounded due to temperatures exceeding 45 degrees since the start of Operation Telic.

Adam Ingram: holding answer 15 June 2006
	The information requested cannot be provided as disclosure of such information would reveal the operational tactics and capability of UK forces, which in turn could have bearing on our operational security, thereby placing our servicemen and women in additional unnecessary danger.

Cyber Security

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what recent guidance she has issued on cyber security in Government Departments.

Patrick McFadden: The Government take the issue of cyber security very seriously. The Cabinet Office regularly issues guidance on the cyber security based on advice received from the National Infrastructure Co-ordination Centre (NISCC—pronounced "nicey") and the Communications Electronic Security Group (CESG).
	Six such notices have been issued this year on a range of specific and technical electronic security requirements (which it would not be appropriate to comment on).
	We have also launched the first phase of Get Safe Online, a joint public/private initiative to raise awareness of internet safety among the general public.

Departmental Report

David Amess: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many copies of the Cabinet Office Departmental Report 2006 were produced; at what cost; to whom copies were sent; at what cost; who was consulted prior to publication; how members of the public can obtain copies; at what cost; and if she will make a statement.

Hilary Armstrong: 1,000 copies of Cabinet Office Departmental Report 2006 were produced for Cabinet Office's own use and distribution. The total design and production cost to the Cabinet Office was £25,000.
	Copies were distributed at no cost to the following:
	Cabinet Office Parliamentary Branch and House of Commons Library;
	HM Treasury and Cabinet Office Library;
	Cabinet Office Board members;
	Cabinet Office PSA target holders;
	Cabinet Office staff;
	National Audit Office;
	Central Office of Information
	Some copies have been reserved for future distribution among stakeholders and other contacts.
	The Cabinet Office Management Board, Heads of Management Units and HM Treasury were consulted prior to the publication of the report.
	Further copies were produced by The Stationery Office (TSO) for sale to members of the public at a cost of £11 per copy. They can be purchased at TSO shops, and ordered online from www.tso.co.uk/bookshop. The report can also be downloaded free of charge fromthe Cabinet Office website www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/publications

Departmental Targets

David Amess: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster who is responsible for progress on each of the targets set out on pages 37 to 45 of Cm 6833; to whom each person reports; what recent discussions she has had about implementation of each target; and if she will make a statement.

Hilary Armstrong: I am responsible for delivery of the Cabinet Office's Public Service Agreement (PSA) targets and with my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer jointly responsible for the delivery of PSA target 1.
	Progress on performance against the PSA targets is reported to the Treasury; including two public documents the Autumn Performance Report (available on the Cabinet Office website at http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/reports /psa/autumn_delivery/index.asp) and the departmental report.

Public Service Pensions

Philip Hammond: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster pursuant to the announcementby the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry of18 October 2005 on public service pensions, that all sector scheme negotiations would be completed by March 2006, when she will announce the details of the consultation on the proposed benefit structure for new entrants to the Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme; whether the negotiations have been completed; and if she will make a statement.

Patrick McFadden: The principles agreed between the Government and the trade unions at the Public Services Forum on 18 October 2005 stated that all sides involved in scheme-specific negotiations should aim to reach agreement no later than June 2006. However, the principles also stated that a co-operative approach should be adopted in all discussions and that adequate time should be made for the discussion process. The Cabinet Office's primary concern is to reach an agreement which produces pension arrangements which are sustainable and which are right for the civil service. The Cabinet Office has had several months of constructive discussions with the civil service trade unions. It expects to put formal proposals to them shortly. The Cabinet Office will publish the formal proposals on its website www.civilservice-pensions.gov.uk

Carbon Emissions

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Prime Minister what steps he takes to off-set the carbon emissions of his flights to foreign countries on official business.

Tony Blair: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Orkney and Shetland (Mr. Carmichael) on 15 May,  Official Report, 2006, Column 820W.

Sustainable Development

Joan Walley: To ask the Prime Minister what mechanism exists to enable liaison between Government departments responsible for delivering sustainable development policy.

Ian Pearson: I have been asked to reply. 
	The Government published the UK Sustainable Development Strategy 'Securing the Future' in March 2005, setting out a range of activities to support this vital agenda. The UK Framework for Sustainable Development, 'One future—different paths', also launched in March 2005, describes the shared understanding and common purpose that exists across departments and in different parts of the country.
	Sustainable development is promoted and co-ordinated through a number of ministerial and official level working groups across Government.
	For example, within the Cabinet there are two committees which have sustainable development issues as part of their remit: the Energy and Environment (EE) Committee and the Sub-Committee on Sustainable Development in Government (EE(SD)). The EE Committee is chaired by the Prime Minister and was established in May 2005 to develop the Government's energy and environmental policies, to monitor the impact on sustainable development of the Government's policies, and to consider issues of climate change, security of supply and affordability of energy.
	I chair the EE(SD) Sub-Committee which has the remit to improve the Government's contribution to sustainable development through the conduct of its business, including through consideration of departmental sustainable development action plans; and to report as necessary to the Committee on Energy and the Environment.
	The Sustainable Development Commission is the Government's independent watchdog on sustainable development, reporting to the Prime Minister and the First Ministers of Scotland and Wales. Its recently expanded role includes monitoring cross-Government and departmental progress towards sustainable development.
	Details of other groups working across Government to deliver sustainable development can be found on our sustainable development website at http://www.sustainable -development.gov.uk/government/index.htm

Sustainable Development

Michael Meacher: To ask the Prime Minister whether he had read  (a) the Sustainable Development Commission's report Is Nuclear the Answer, dated March 2006, and  (b) the Environmental Audit Select Committee's report Keeping the Lights on: Nuclear, Renewables and Climate Change HC584, dated 16 April 2006, prior to making his address to the Confederation of British Industry on 16 May.

Tony Blair: In addition to the presentation and papers from the Energy Review, I was briefed and read widely on energy issues in preparation for the address to the CBI on 16 May. This, of course, included the Sustainable Development Commission's report and its research papers and the Environmental Select Committee's April report.

Business Rates

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 10 May 2006,  Official Report, column 370W, on business rates, how many  (a) hotels,  (b) hostels and  (c) bed and breakfasts were on the 2005 Rating List for each local authority area in England.

Phil Woolas: A table showing the number of properties classed as  (a) hotels,  (b) hostels and  (c) bed and breakfast in the 2005 Rating List for England, for each individual local authority area, at 31 January 2006 has been placed in the Library.

Local Government

Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether the Government encourages exchange of best practice between local authorities on estate utilisation.

Phil Woolas: Government policy is to promote the spread of best practice in local authority asset management. Asset management was one of the themes for Round6 of the Beacon councils scheme and the authorities with Beacon status for asset management have been rolling out a programme of learning events to share their best practice with other local authorities.
	Additionally, my department, in liaison with other stakeholders, commissioned the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors to prepare new guidance. This guidance, which was published in 2005, aims to help local authorities use their assets more effectively to support delivery of their strategic objectives and increase the cost effectiveness of existing assets and capital resources. The text of the guidance is available on the internet at:
	http://www.rics.org/Property/Propertymanagement/Asset ManagementinLocalAuthorities230305.htm
	The Government also welcomes the Asset Management Network, set up in 2000 by the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy and local government property societies, to disseminate best practice information and support local authorities developing asset management practices. The network runs an extensive website for hosting asset management information at:
	http://www.ipfproperty.net/ampnetwork

Local Strategic Partnerships

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether non-councillor members of local strategic partnerships are  (a) regulated by (i) local government codes of conduct and (ii) the Standards Board and  (b) required to declare personal or prejudicial interests.

Phil Woolas: The Local Government Act 2000 provides for a code of conduct to apply to members and co-opted members of every relevant authority. The Standards Board for England polices this code. This code does not directly apply to non-local authority members of LSPs. However, they would be required to conduct themselves with reference to their own professional or corporate code of conduct, and comply with any advice which accompanies this.

Valuation Office Agency

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 26 April 2006,  Official Report, column 1196W, to the hon. Member for Meriden (Mrs. Spelman), on the automated valuation model, what data sources are used to compile the Valuation Office Agency's single dataset.

Phil Woolas: The main source of the Valuation Office Agency's (VOA's) property attribute dataset is the Agency's own paper-based records, which have now been digitised and are maintained as part of ongoing work in the VOA. Data has also been drawn from other sources to supplement and validate these records. These are:
	data on the location of subsidised housing from the National Register of Social Housing (NRoSH); this has been reviewed and adapted by the VOA
	data supplied under a contractual arrangement with Rightmove.co.uk plc
	National Land and Property Gazetteer "X-Y co-ordinate" data
	Additionally, data is supplied by local authorities, primarily as part of their statutory responsibility to supply information which they consider would assist the VOA's listing officers in maintaining council tax lists.
	Also standard ordnance survey maps have been used to confirm some property attribute details and to assist with the calculation of plot sizes.

Wards

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many local authority wards, including the district tier in two-tier areas, there are in England.

Phil Woolas: Decisions as to the number of wards in England are a matter for the Electoral Commission. The current number is: in the 32 London boroughs: 624 wards; in the 36 Metropolitan districts: 815 wards; in the 45 Shire unitary authorities (excluding the county of the Isle of Wight which has 48 divisions): 1,006 wards; in the 238 two-tier districts: 5,449 wards. Total: 7,894 wards.

Arms Exports

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry for what purpose a Westland Scout AH1 helicopter (registration G-ONEB) was transferred to Sierra Leone after being deregistered in the UK on 12 May 2006, and if he will make a statement.

Malcolm Wicks: My interest in this relates to the possible need for an export licence for the export of this item. Although I am bound by a duty of commercial confidentiality as regards export licensing information which may be placed in the public domain, I shall ensure this matter is pursued, if necessary involving HM Revenue and Customs as the enforcement authority. I would be grateful if the hon. Member could send me any further factual information he holds regarding this matter.

Energy Efficiency

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps are being taken to encourage the use of  (a) cleaner and  (b) more efficient sources of energy.

Malcolm Wicks: Government are taking a number of measures to encourage the use of cleaner and more efficient sources of energy such as renewables, combined heat and power (CHP), and carbon abatement technologies.
	The Government's key mechanism for encouraging renewable generation is the Renewables Obligation (RO) which places an obligation on electricity suppliers to source a specific and annually increasing percentage of their sales from eligible renewable sources. This is set at 6.7 per cent. for 2006-07 and will rise to 15.4 per cent. by 2015-16. The RO together with the Climate Change Levy will be worth up to £l billion per year by 2010.
	Since 2002 the Government have also made available around £500 million of direct funding for emerging renewable and low carbon technologies in the form of capital grants.
	This includes:
	£117 million in capital grants for round one offshore wind farms;
	£66 million for biomass capital grants;
	£80 million for Low Carbon Buildings Programme;
	£50 million Demonstration Fund for Carbon Abatement Technologies, Hydrogen and Fuel Cells;
	£12.5 million for the Clear Skies Programme;
	£50 million for Marine Renewables Deployment Fund; and
	£19 million a year for industry-led Research & Development.
	With regard to Combined Heat and Power (CHP) the Government have added support measures for CHP in the new Climate Change Programme, including a commitment that CHP will be fully considered in the UK's Phase II National Allocation Plan of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme. Combined heat and power (CHP) can increase the overall efficiency of fuel utilisation to more than 75 per cent. compared with up to 50 per cent. from modern Combined Cycle Gas Turbines. We are also considering whether we can offer support for CHP under the current Energy Review.
	In 2005 the Government launched the Carbon Abatement Technologies Strategy and the UK's Strategic Framework for Hydrogen Energy. Carbon Abatement Technologies (CAT's) have the potential to significantly lower carbon dioxide emissions by 85 per cent. or more and will enable the cleaner use of coal and allow it to have a role in a sustainable world. The use of hydrogen as a transport fuel could provide significant cost—competitive CO2 reductions by 2030. These strategies includes (as listed above) funding for demonstration of hydrogen, fuel cell, and carbon abatement technologies , (including Cleaner Coal and Carbon Capture and Storage).
	The EU Emissions Trading scheme covers electricity generation and energy intensive industry and requires an allowance to be produced for every tonne of carbon dioxide emitted. These allowances are tradable across the EU and will effectively require companies to incorporate the cost of carbon into decision making. This scheme should therefore provide another incentive to invest in cleaner and more efficient sources of energy.

Franco-British Nuclear Forum

Alan Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the impact of EU competition law on the Franco-British Nuclear Forum announced by the Prime Minister on9 June 2006;
	(2)  how many  (a) permanent and  (b) temporary staff have been allocated from his Department to the Franco-British Nuclear Forum announced by the Prime Minister on 9 June 2006;
	(3)  which UK companies and industry groups were consulted about the setting up of the Franco-British Nuclear Forum prior to its announcement by the Prime Minister on 9 June 2006;
	(4)  what assessment he has made of the likely cost of the Franco-British Nuclear Forum announced by the Prime Minister on 9 June 2006; and what proportion of the costs will be borne by UK companies and industry groups.

Malcolm Wicks: The terms of reference for the Franco-British Nuclear Forum, which my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister and President Chirac agreed to establish on 9 June 2006, have yet to be decided, as have its aims, and its membership. I shall write to the hon. Member for Rutland and Melton as soon as the information is available.

Franco-British Nuclear Forum

Alan Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry 
	(1)  when he plans to make a statement on the Franco-British Nuclear Forum announced by the Prime Minister on 9 June 2006;
	(2)  who will represent the UK at the Franco-British Nuclear Forum announced by the Prime Minister on9 June 2006;
	(3)  what the  (a) terms of reference and  (b) aims are of the Franco-British Nuclear Forum announced by the Prime Minister on 9 June 2006; and how often it will meet.

Malcolm Wicks: holding answers 20 June 2006
	The terms of reference for the Franco-British Nuclear Forum, which my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister and President Chirac agreed to establish on 9 June 2006, have yet to be decided, as have its aims, and its membership. I shall write to the hon. Member for Rutland and Melton as soon as the information is available.

New Technologies

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what percentage of the Department's budget was spent on researching new technologies in the last period for which figures are available.

Jim Fitzpatrick: SET Statistics provide a breakdown of Government R&D expenditure by primary purpose and Department. The following table outlines spend for the Department of Trade and Industry and other major Government Departments for 2003-04 on technology support and gives this as a percentage of the Department's total budget. The category technology support includes strategic as well as applied research, and pre-competitive research. These figures exclude funding of the research base under the Science Budget and are derived from SET statistics tables 3.6 and 3.10 available on the DTI website at http://www.dti.gov.uk/science/science-funding/ set-stats/govt-exp-r&d/index.htnml, hard copies of which are available in the Libraries of the House.
	
		
			  Analysis of net Government R&D expenditure by primary purpose and department—Dates covered: 2003-04 
			   Primary purpose A: General support  (£ million)  As percentage of total department budget  Primary purpose B: Government services (£ million)  As percentage of total department budget 
			 DEFRA 16.9 0.33 6.0 0.12 
			 DIES — — 17.0 3.23 
			 ODPM 0.3 0.01 3.2 0.07 
			 DfT 0.1 0.00 10.6 0.16 
			 DH (includes NHS) 2.8 0.00 557.6 0.95 
			 DWP (formerly DSS) — — 12.1 0.01 
			 HSC — — — — 
			 HO — — 42.2 0.56 
			 DCMS (formerly DNH) 6.2 0.22 0.8 0.03 
			 DFID (formerly ODA) — — 214.9 5.49 
			 DTI (ex OST) — — — — 
			 NI departments — — 1.6 0.01 
			 SE (formerly SO) 17.5 0.13 52.2 0.38 
			 NAW (formerly WO) 4.5 0.07 18.1 0.28 
			 FSA — — — — 
			 Other departments 1.3 0.00 13.3 0.04 
			  
			 Total Civil Departments 49.7 0.03 949.5 0.55 
			  
			 MOD — — 2,676.6 8.92 
			  
			 Total Government 3,597.5 1.58 3,733.9 1.64 
		
	
	
		
			   Primary purpose C: Policy support (£ million)  As percentage of total department budget  Primary purpose D: Technology support (£ million)  As percentage of total department budget 
			 DEFRA 128.8 2.52 29.2 0.57 
			 DIES 33.8 6.42 1.2 0.23 
			 ODPM 26.9 0.61 — — 
			 DfT 41.0 0.61 7.1 0.11 
			 DH (includes NHS) 31.4 0.05 1.1 0.00 
			 DWP (formerly DSS) 6.4 0.01 — — 
			 HSC 14.1 7.24 — — 
			 HO 5.7 0.08 — — 
			 DCMS (formerly DNH) 7.4 0.26 — — 
			 DFID (formerly ODA) 0.0 0.00 — — 
			 DTI (ex OST) 15.7 0.39 455.0 11.34 
			 NI departments 19.1 0.16 — — 
			 SE (formerly SO) 20.5 0.15 38.3 0.28 
			 NAW (formerly WO) 8.5 0.13 — — 
			 FSA — n/a — — 
			 Other departments 11.4 0.04 4.2 0.01 
			  
			 Total Civil Departments 370.8 0.23 537.0 0.31 
			  
			 MOD — — — — 
			  
			 Total Government 421.6 0.19 610.4 0.27 
		
	
	
		
			   Total R&D (£ million)  As percentage of total department budget 
			 DEFRA 181.0 3.55 
			 DIES 52.0 9.88 
			 ODPM 30.4 0.69 
			 DfT 58.8 0.88 
			 DH (includes NHS) 593.0 1.01 
			 DWP (formerly DSS) 18.4 0.02 
			 HSC 14.1 7.24 
			 HO 48.0 0.64 
			 DCMS (formerly DNH) 15.2 0.54 
			 DFID (formerly ODA) 214.9 5.49 
			 DTI (ex OST) 470.8 11.73 
			 NI departments 20.6 0.18 
			 SE (formerly SO) 128.5 0.93 
			 NAW (formerly WO) 31.1 0.47 
			 FSA — n/a 
			 Other departments 30.2 0.09 
			
			 Total Civil Departments 1,907.1 1.11 
			
			 MOD 2,676.6 8.92 
			
			 Total Government 8,363.4 3.68 
			  Notes: Definitions:Primary Purpose A, general support for research—all basic and applied R&D which advances knowledge for its own sake; support for postgraduate research studentships (PhDs);Primary Purpose B, Government services - R&D relevant to any aspect of Government service provision (all defence included here) Source:ONS Government R&D Survey

Nuclear Industry

Alan Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what recent assessment he has made of the skills capability in the UK nuclear industry; and if he will make a statement.

Malcolm Wicks: The Government are advised on skills capability in the nuclear industry by Cogent the sector skills council covering nuclear. The most recent assessment on skills in the nuclear industry has been completed through the Sector Skills Agreement Process. "The Skills Needs Assessment of the Nuclear Industry", is available on the Cogent website at www.cogent-ssc.com/ as is the "Assessment of Current Education and Training Provision for the Nuclear Industry".

Nuclear Industry

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimate he has made of the number of nuclear  (a) scientists and  (b) engineers available in the United Kingdom.

Malcolm Wicks: holding answer 15 June 2006
	The nuclear industry employs good general science and engineering graduates. The nuclear specific competences are added by in-service training and experience and, increasingly by Masters Courses at the 15 or so universities and institutions teaching postgraduates in nuclear related topics.
	Survey and scenario planning work undertaken by Cogent Sector Skills Council with nuclear employers in 2005-06 provides estimates for the current workforce of:
	 (a) approximately 3,150 professional scientists working within the nuclear industry and;
	 (b) approximately 17,400 professional engineers working within the nuclear industry.
	This reported workforce is not necessarily nuclear specialists.
	The Institution of Nuclear Engineers has about 1000 members of all categories.
	In addition, there is a broader engineering design and project management resource, at least 20,000 strong, that could support energy sector projects, including nuclear.

Zimbabwe

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry which UK companies have licences to export military equipment to Zimbabwe.

Malcolm Wicks: Export licence applications are made to the Government in confidence and the information they contain is therefore exempt from disclosure. The Government publishes detailed information on its export licensing decisions, by destination, in its annual and quarterly reports on strategic export controls. The Government's annual reports are available from the Libraries of the House, and our quarterly reports, from the DTI Export Control Organisation website at:
	http://www.dti.gov.uk/europeandtrade/strategic-export-control/index.html

Cancer/Leukaemia

David Amess: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people under the age of 18 years in  (a) Southend on Sea,  (b) Essex and  (c) England and Wales were diagnosed with leukaemia in each year between 2002 and 2005.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 21 June 2006:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking how many people under the age of 18 years in (a) Southend on Sea, (b) Essex and(c) England and Wales were diagnosed with leukaemia in each year between 2002 and 2005. (78596)
	The most recent available figures for newly diagnosed cases of leukaemia registered in England and Wales are the year 2003. Figures for people under the age of 18 years at diagnosis for the years 2002 and 2003 are given in the table below.
	
		
			  Numbers of newly diagnosed cases of leukaemia,( 1)  for people under the age of 18 years at diagnosis, registered in Southend unitary authority, Essex county and England and Wales, 2002-03 
			   2002  2003 
			 Southend unitary authority 1 1 
			 Essex county 12 8 
			 England and Wales 478 453 
			 (1 )Figures selected using the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD10), all leukaemias coded as C91-C95.

Cancer/Leukaemia

David Amess: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people in  (a) Southend on Sea,  (b) Essex and  (c) England and Wales were diagnosed with (i) leukaemia, (ii) breast cancer, (iii) prostate cancer and (iv) lung cancer in each year between 2002 and 2005.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 21 June 2006:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking how many people in (a) Southend on Sea, (b) Essex and (c) England and Wales were diagnosed with (i) leukaemia, (ii) breast cancer and (iii) prostate cancer and (iv) lung cancer in each year between 2002 and 2005. (78597)
	The most recent available figures for newly diagnosed cases of cancer registered in England and Wales are the year 2003. Figures by selected cancers for the years 2002 and 2003 are given in the table below.
	
		
			  Numbers of newly diagnosed cases of selected cancers,( 1)  registered in Southend unitary authority, Essex county and England and Wales, 2002-03 
			   Southend unitary authority  Essex county  England and Wales 
			   2002  2003  2002  2003  2002  2003 
			 Leukaemia 20 15 143 132 6,066 6,190 
			 Breast cancer (females)(2) 129 123 910 956 36,540 38,882 
			 Prostate cancer 94 106 796 819 28,566 28,800 
			 Lung cancer 116 102 763 737 31,801 31,718 
			 (1) Figures selected using the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD10), all leukaemias coded as C91-C95, breast cancer as C50, prostate cancer as C61 and lung cancer as C34. (2) Figures provided here are for female breast cancer. However, there are around 300 cases of male breast cancer diagnosed each year in England and Wales.

Electoral Registration

Chris Ruane: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many and what percentage of the electorate in each  (a) constituency and  (b) ward of each constituency were registered to vote in (i) 1997 and (ii) 2006.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 21 June 2006:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your question concerning how many and what percentage of the electorate in each (a) constituency and (b) ward of each constituency were registered to vote in (i) 1997 and (ii) 2006. (79080)
	Whilst ward electorate counts for England and Wales by parliamentary constituency can be provided for February 1997 and most recently for December 2005, the necessary ward population estimates to calculate the percentage of the electorate who were registered to vote are not available.
	In the nine-year period from 1997, ward population estimates for England and Wales are available only for 2001 and 2002. Information for 2001 and 2002 has been provided previously in response to earlier Parliamentary Questions (No. 38272, 20 Dec 2005, Column 2809w, No. 41187, 19th January 2006,Column 1491w).
	In addition there have been a significant number of ward name changes and ward boundary changes over this nine-year period which may cause significant difficulties when comparing figures for wards over time.

Energy Taxation

David Drew: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the merits of reducing the level of energy taxation for those who live close to energy-providing facilities including nuclear and renewables.

John Healey: There is no energy tax levied on individuals, as such no assessment has been made.

Hot Meals Provision

Christopher Chope: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will reduce the rate of VAT on supplies of hot meals to  (a) school children and  (b) pensioners.

Dawn Primarolo: There is no VAT chargeable on the supply of a hot meal by a school to its pupils. Neither is VAT chargeable on meals provided to children or elderly people by any charity or state-regulated welfare provider as part of a package or care or welfare services.
	European VAT agreements governing the application of exemptions, reliefs and reduced rates do not allow for their further extension. Neither do these agreements allow for the introduction of any new VAT zero or reduced rates for supplies of catering, including the provision of hot meals.

Incoming Phone Calls

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many and what proportion of calls to his Department and its agencies were  (a) handled by an adviser,  (b) received but abandoned and  (c) received an engaged tone in (i) 2003-04, (ii) 2004-05 and (iii) 2005-06.

Dawn Primarolo: I would refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave him on 10 March 2006,  Official Report, Column 1801W for (i) 2003-04, (ii) 2004-05 and (iii) 2005-2006, to 31 January 2006.
	The following table provides figures for the remainder of 2005-06.
	
		
			   2005-06: Figures in millions rounded to nearest hundred thousand 
			   February  March 
			 Calls handled(1) 4 4.6 
			 Calls received but abandoned(2) 0.27 0.27 
			 Calls encountering an engaged tone(3) 6.9 5.9 
			 (1) Where the caller spoke to an adviser  (2) Where the caller selected an option from the call steering menu and was put in a queue to speak to an adviser but the call was terminated before the caller spoke to an adviser  (3) Call attempts where the caller was played an Engaged tone

Tax Returns

Peter Robinson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much in total was received in fines by HM Revenue and Customs for late income tax returns in Northern Ireland in each year since 1998.

Dawn Primarolo: H M Revenue and Customs keep a record of penalties paid in respect of income tax returns filed after the due date at national level only.

Tax Returns

Peter Robinson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many self-assessment tax returns were issued in Northern Ireland in each year since 1998.

Dawn Primarolo: The total numbers of self assessment tax returns issued in Northern Ireland for each financial year are detailed in the table. The figures for the financial years prior to 2001 are no longer available.
	
		
			  Year Issued  Return Year  Number Issued 
			 2001-02 2000-01 233,681 
			 2002-03 2001-02 241,112 
			 2003-04 2002-03 248,785 
			 2004-05 2003-04 255,316 
			 2005-06 2004-05 240,693 
			 2006-07 2005-06 (1)234,763 
			 (1 )to 9 June

Burma

Andrew Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether people in Burma receiving antiretroviral treatment through projects funded by his Department are able to receive regular and reliable blood tests to monitor the efficacy of such treatments.

Gareth Thomas: DFID funds antiretroviral treatment in Burma through the joint-donor Fund for HIV/AIDS in Myanmar'(FHAM), to which DFID is the largest contributor, providing £10 million over five years. At 31 March 2006, the FHAM was providing antiretroviral treatment to 2,953 patients. All of those people are able to receive regular clinical follow-up and monitoring, including reliable blood tests, to monitor the efficacy of their treatments.
	Blood tests in the vast majority of cases include CD4 T-cell counts, which is a technique which monitors the response of the patient's immune system to the antiretroviral treatment. Materials and chemical reagents are sourced from reputable suppliers, and training of clinicians and laboratory scientists in these methodologies has been undertaken by the International NGOs involved and by the World Health Organisation (with FHAM funding).
	In the main referral centres in Yangon and Mandalay, automated CD4 counter machines are available and as antiretroviral treatment is provided to new areas in peripheral areas, additional manual CD4 counting equipment and reagents, will be supplied. Those organisations funded by FHAM who provide antiretroviral treatment but do not use CD4 T-cell counts instead test patients' blood using a process of clinical staging, which is also regarded as a good practice means of monitoring treatment efficacy. In addition, the introduction of a further test for the effectiveness of antiretroviral treatment is planned for the near future, when HIV viral load testing will be made available at the central National Health Laboratory, with the support of UNICEF.

Legislation

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development which Private Members' Bills were drafted by his Department in each Session since 1997; and which of those received Royal Assent.

Hilary Benn: Members will consider a range of possible subjects before introducing their Private Members' Bills.
	Government draftsmen do draft some Bills in advance which are available as one of the options for Members to consider before they make their selection.
	However, Members may make subsequent amendments or revisions to a Government drafted Bill, or use it as the basis for a Private Member's Bill in the future.
	The information requested is therefore not collected.

World Health Organisation

Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of the outcomes of the recent World Health Organisation's World Health Assembly.

Gareth Thomas: My hon. Friend, the Minister of State for Health Services, led the UK Delegation to the World Health Assembly. The Assembly was overshadowed by the sudden death of the director general (DG), Dr. Lee. However, an acting director general (Anders Nordstrom) was approved and a process for selecting a new DG was agreed.
	Overall, it was a very difficult Assembly due to the loss of Dr. Lee. However, agreements were reached, which will improve global public health. The following items were of particular relevance to the development agenda.
	The General Programme of Work, which is essentially the World Health Organisation's (WHO) long-term vision (2006-15) was agreed. A key objective for the UK is to see the General Programme of Work linked to a new Medium-Term Strategic Plan which will be developed by 2008; along with the preparation of the next biannual budget.
	A new Global Strategy for the Prevention and control of Sexually Transmitted Infections (STI) was endorsed. This is an important strategy to re-invigorate and accelerate STI prevention and control, which is urgently required if countries are to achieve universal access to HIV prevention treatment and care, and to improve sexual and reproductive health and rights.
	In relation to HIV and AIDS, resolutions were also passed on nutrition and HIV/AIDS, and a resolution to endorse the Global Task Team recommendations on improving AIDS co-ordination among multilateral institutions and international donors. The Health Assembly also supported the WHO to develop a five-year-plan to help achieve universal access to HIV/AIDS treatment by 2010.
	A resolution was agreed on Intellectual Property Rights to improve access to medicines, vaccines and diagnostics for people in developing countries. The Assembly agreed to establish an intergovernmental working group to draw up a global strategy and plan of action based on the recommendations of the Commission on Intellectual Property Rights, Innovation and Public Health.
	Other important resolutions for forwarding the development agenda included resolutions on eradication of polio, infant and young child nutrition, and emergency preparedness and response.
	A resolution on the role of nursing and midwifery was agreed, which is linked to the theme of the World Health Report on health work force issues. This is an important contribution to supporting the sustainable development of health systems.

Abandoned Vehicles

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many abandoned cars were recorded in each local authority in England in 2004-05; and what estimate has been made for 2005-06.

Ben Bradshaw: Numbers of abandoned vehicles in each local authority were primarily collected from WasteDataFlow in 2004-05: http://www.wastedataflow.org. Results from authorities that responded are listed below. Results for 2005-06 are not yet available and estimates have not been made.
	
		
			  Local Authority  Abandoned Vehicles 2004-05 
			 Adur 279 
			 Allerdale 78 
			 Alnwick 23 
			 Arun 439 
			 Ashfield 291 
			 Ashford 214 
			 Aylesbury Vale 206 
			 Babergh 349 
			 Barking and Dagenham 940 
			 Barnet 2,593 
			 Barrow-in-Furness 63 
			 Basildon 573 
			 Basingstoke and Deane 345 
			 Bassetlaw 153 
			 Bath and NE Somerset UA 501 
			 Bedford 654 
			 Berwick-upon-Tweed 27 
			 Bexley 781 
			 Birmingham UA 2,273 
			 Blaby 85 
			 Blackburn with Darwen UA 493 
			 Blackpool UA 196 
			 Blyth Valley 129 
			 Bolton 312 
			 Boston 232 
			 Bracknell Forest UA 162 
			 Bradford UA 1,025 
			 Braintree 276 
			 Brent 1,014 
			 Bridgnorth 23 
			 Bromley 581 
			 Bromsgrove 151 
			 Broxtowe 177 
			 Bury 125 
			 Calderdale UA 308 
			 Camden 1,069 
			 Canterbury 305 
			 Carlisle 245 
			 Carrick 174 
			 Castle Morpeth 43 
			 Castle Point 136 
			 Chester 292 
			 Chesterfield 49 
			 Chester-le-Street 202 
			 Chichester 256 
			 Chiltern 110 
			 Christchurch 20 
			 City of Bristol UA 772 
			 City of Kingston-upon-Hull UA 1,575 
			 City of London 100 
			 Copeland 57 
			 Cotswold 69 
			 County of Herefordshire UA 301 
			 Coventry UA 474 
			 Craven 29 
			 Dacorum 514 
			 Darlington UA 297 
			 Dartford 121 
			 Derby UA 635 
			 Derbyshire Dales 25 
			 Derwentside 90 
			 Doncaster UA 2,275 
			 Dover 171 
			 East Dorset 75 
			 East Hampshire 123 
			 East Hertfordshire 286 
			 East Northamptonshire 158 
			 East Riding of Yorkshire UA 370 
			 East Staffordshire 181 
			 Eastbourne 301 
			 Eden 27 
			 Enfield 2,368 
			 Epsom and Ewell 251 
			 Fenland 142 
			 Forest of Dean 150 
			 Gateshead UA 83 
			 Gedling 194 
			 Gloucester 1,467 
			 Gosport 214 
			 Gravesham 390 
			 Great Yarmouth 568 
			 Greenwich 1,879 
			 Guildford 279 
			 Hambleton 25 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 1,296 
			 Haringey 1,594 
			 Harlow 474 
			 Harrogate 126 
			 Hart 120 
			 Hartlepool UA 293 
			 Havant 174 
			 Hertsmere 121 
			 High Peak 60 
			 Hillingdon 310 
			 Hinckley and Bosworth 65 
			 Horsham 173 
			 Hounslow 1,448 
			 Hyndburn 85 
			 Ipswich 1,510 
			 Isle of Wight UA 225 
			 Isles of Scilly 0 
			 Islington 927 
			 Kennet 73 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 138 
			 Kerrier 281 
			 Kirklees UA 674 
			 Lambeth 484 
			 Leicester UA 967 
			 Lewes 197 
			 Lichfield 50 
			 Lincoln 84 
			 Liverpool 902 
			 Luton UA 2,097 
			 Macclesfield 83 
			 Maidstone 184 
			 Malvern Hills 35 
			 Manchester 182 
			 MedwayUA 3,154 
			 Melton 121 
			 Merton 3,036 
			 Mid Bedfordshire 102 
			 Mid Suffolk 127 
			 Mid Sussex 164 
			 Middlesbrough UA 260 
			 Mole Valley 715 
			 New Forest 212 
			 Newark and Sherwood 101 
			 North Dorset 100 
			 North East Derbyshire 52 
			 North East Lincolnshire UA 580 
			 North Hertfordshire 612 
			 North Kesteven 778 
			 North Lincolnshire UA 149 
			 North Somerset UA 308 
			 North Tyneside UA 319 
			 North West Leicestershire 57 
			 North Wiltshire 50 
			 Nottingham UA 2,502 
			 Nuneaton and Bedworth 192 
			 Oadby and Wigston 87 
			 Oswestry 34 
			 Oxford 2,083 
			 Pendle 88 
			 Penwith 342 
			 Peterborough UA 1,194 
			 Poole UA 204 
			 Portsmouth UA 659 
			 Purbeck 34 
			 Reading UA 299 
			 Reigate and Banstead 269 
			 Restormel 261 
			 Ribble Valley 20 
			 Richmond upon Thames 494 
			 Rochdale 277 
			 Rossendale 506 
			 Rotherham UA 315 
			 Rugby 149 
			 Runnymede 144 
			 Rushcliffe 197 
			 Rushmoor 119 
			 Rutland UA 28 
			 Ryedale 10 
			 Salisbury 114 
			 Sedgefield 186 
			 Sedgemoor 244 
			 Sefton 42 
			 Selby 45 
			 Sevenoaks 163 
			 Sheffield UA 547 
			 Shepway 179 
			 Shrewsbury and Atcham 79 
			 Solihull UA 1,047 
			 South Buckinghamshire 158 
			 South Cambridgeshire 212 
			 South Derbyshire 31 
			 South Gloucestershire UA 706 
			 South Hams 136 
			 South Holland 243 
			 South Lakeland 96 
			 South Norfolk 66 
			 South Oxfordshire 251 
			 South Ribble 127 
			 South Shropshire 20 
			 South Staffordshire 48 
			 Southampton UA 1,465 
			 Southend-on-Sea UA 1,036 
			 Spelthorne 673 
			 St. Albans 227 
			 St. Edmundsbury 522 
			 Staffordshire Moorlands 27 
			 Stockpor 322 
			 Stockton-on-Tees UA 328 
			 Suffolk Coastal 318 
			 Sunderland UA 201 
			 Surrey Heath 102 
			 Sutton 474 
			 Swale 260 
			 Swindon UA 481 
			 Tameside 1,509 
			 Tamworth 227 
			 Tandridge 210 
			 Taunton Deane 136 
			 Teesdale 12 
			 Teignbridge 272 
			 Telford and Wrekin UA 223 
			 Test Valley 264 
			 Tewkesbury 360 
			 Thanet 452 
			 ThurrockUA 1,272 
			 Tonbridge and Mailing 133 
			 Torbay UA 383 
			 Torridge 72 
			 Tower Hamlets 1,322 
			 Tunbridge Wells 168 
			 Tynedale 46 
			 Vale of White Horse 216 
			 Vale Royal 253 
			 Wakefield UA 262 
			 Waltham Forest 1,333 
			 Wandsworth 2,096 
			 Wansbeck 122 
			 Watford 238 
			 Waveney 218 
			 Wealden 282 
			 Wellingborough 217 
			 Welwyn Hatfield 277 
			 West Dorset 303 
			 West Lancashire 149 
			 West Oxfordshire 185 
			 West Somerset 23 
			 Westminster 210 
			 Weymouth and Portland 122 
			 Winchester 120 
			 Windsor and Maidenhead UA 190 
			 Wirral 961 
			 Woking 103 
			 Wolverhampton UA 456 
			 Worthing 287 
			 Wyre 46 
			 Wyre Forest 61 
			 York UA 944

Badgers

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what trials of badger body snares are taking place; what the  (a) objectives,  (b) process and  (c) procedures of the trials are.

Ben Bradshaw: A study protocol for current work to assess the effectiveness and humanness of a possible body snare designed to restrain badgers will be placed in the House Library. A full report of this work will be published following peer review.

Badgers

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will visit Castle Point to examine the damage caused by the local badger population.

Ben Bradshaw: I am grateful for the hon. Member's invitation. However, I am already aware of concerns about damage caused by badgers in Castle Point. DEFRA wildlife advisers have advised on several occasions about the action which can be taken, and appropriate licenses have been granted in some cases.

Bovine TB

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the specificity was of the gamma interferon test using the  (a) standard purified protein derivative,  (b) ESAT6 and CFP10 peptides and  (c) ESAT6 and CFP10 peptides in combination with the standard purified protein derivative in research undertaken by the Veterinary Laboratories Agency; and what the confidence limits were in each case.

Ben Bradshaw: The results of the trial to determine the specificity of the gamma interferon test undertaken by the Veterinary Laboratories Agency, for the conditions listed above, were as follows:
	 (a) PPD-B minus PPD-A: 96.7 per cent. (95 per cent. Cl: 95.6 - 97.8)
	 (b) ESAT-6/CFP-10 peptides: 97.0 per cent. (95 per cent.Cl: 95.9 - 98.1)
	 (c) PPD-B minus PPD-A AND ESAT-6/CFP10 peptides combined: 99.2 per cent. (95 per cent. 01:98.6-99.8).

Bovine TB

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs by what date the Gamma Interferon Working Group has been asked to report to Ministers; and what discussions members of the group have had with the Independent Scientific Group.

Ben Bradshaw: The Gamma Interferon Working Group will provide Ministers with a progress report later this month. It will outline proposals for, and the scope of, the wider roll out of the test later this year. In the meantime, Defra continues to apply the gamma interferon test in a range of prescribed circumstances.
	Members of the Gamma Interferon Working Group have held various discussions with the Independent Scientific Group (ISG). The ISG has endorsed the group's proposals.

Waste Management

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what percentage of waste was recycled in each local authority in Yorkshire and the Humber in each year since 2003-04.

Ben Bradshaw: holding answer 20 June 2006
	The percentages of household waste recycled and composted(1) by local authorities in the Yorkshire and Humber region in 2003-04 and 2004-05 are provided in the following table.
	
		
			  Household waste recycled and composted in Yorkshire and Humber region 
			  Percentage 
			  Authority  2003-04  2004-05 
			 Barnsley MBC 13 17.68 
			 Bradford MDC 13.12 16.73 
			 Calderdale MBC 13.62 17.05 
			 Craven DC 18.03 21.41 
			 Doncaster MBC 13.46 18.24 
			 East Riding of Yorkshire Council 14.40 18.77 
			 Hambleton DC 23.67 34.52 
			 Harrogate BC 15 15.63 
			 Kingston upon Hull Council 10.72 13.28 
			 Kirklees MBC 14.20 16.23 
			 Leeds City Council 14.60 19.56 
			 North East Lincolnshire Council 19.66 21.18 
			 North Yorkshire County Council 19.54 24.09 
			 Richmondshire DC 10.12 11.99 
			 Rotherham MBC 14.90 21 
			 Ryedale DC 14.70 25.4 
			 Scarborough BC 12.41 14.87 
			 Selby DC 12.27 14.71 
			 Sheffield City Council 12.2 17.14 
			 Wakefield MDC 17.01 21.27 
			 York City Council 15.43 17.77 
		
	
	(1) The household waste recycling rate is the sum of Best Value Performance Indicators 82 a and b

Water Framework Directive

Michael Jack: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether members of the Consumer Council for Water will contribute to the introduction of the Water Framework Directive via membership of river basin district liaison panels.

Ian Pearson: Defra's consultation report on River Basin Planning Guidance, published in December 2005, makes clear that the river basin district liaison panels will include representatives from all relevant sectors, including those representing sections of the public affected by the implementation of the Water Framework Directive. The Environment Agency, as competent authority for implementation of the Water Framework Directive in England, has decided that there will be Consumer Council for Water representatives on all the River Basin District Liaison Panels.

Whaling

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent representations he has made to  (a) Japan,  (b) Norway and  (c) Iceland on their policy on whaling.

Ben Bradshaw: With colleagues from 16 other countries led by Brazil, HM ambassador in Tokyo delivered a Demarche to the Government of Japan on 16 January, protesting in the strongest terms on Japan's plans to expand its so-called 'scientific' whaling activities. The UK Government, in common with those of a majority of International Whaling Commission (IWC) members, has regularly criticised Japanese scientific whaling programmes in both the North Pacific (JARPN) and the Southern ocean (JARPA) as being of little scientific value and urged Japan to terminate them forthwith.
	On 20 April the British Charge d'Affaires in Oslo on behalf of the UK and 11 other countries delivered a demarche to the Norwegian Government, urging it to stop its commercial whaling programme. We continue to press Norway to desist from commercial whaling, which we believe contrary to the spirit of the International Whaling Commission moratorium.
	We also persist with our strong opposition to Iceland's continuing 'scientific whaling' programme and made our objections very clear with regard to Icelandic whaling at the last annual IWC meeting in Korea, and at a recent meeting with the Icelandic Fisheries Ministers.

Regional Casinos

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether she plans to recommend changes to the shortlist drawn up by the Casino Advisory Panel for the regional casino licence that will be granted under the Gambling Act 2005.

Richard Caborn: No. Ministers will not be involved in the work and decision-making of the Panel, which is independent from Government.
	The Casino Advisory Panel will make its recommendations on the local authority areas for the 17 new casinos permitted under the Gambling Act 2005 to the Secretary of State by the end of 2006.

Regional Casinos

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what meetings she has had with hon. Members in the constituencies which submitted proposals for a regional casino to the Casino Advisory Panel; and what issues were discussed at each meeting.

Richard Caborn: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State met the hon. Member for Coventry, South(Mr. Cunningham) and the hon. Member for Coventry, North-West (Mr. Robinson) on 5 June.
	The Secretary of State explained that the Panel was independent from Government and that any representations by Coventry should be made to the Panel, not Ministers.

Business Rates

Eric Pickles: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission how much the Palace of Westminster paid in business rates in each year since 1997-98.

Nick Harvey: The sums paid by the House of Commons in business rates for the Palace of Westminster in each year from 1997-98 was as follows:
	
		
			   Rates paid( 1)  (£)  Revised rates( 2)  (£) 
			 1997-98 1,820,550 — 
			 1998-99 1,884,150 — 
			 1999-2000 1,939,800 — 
			 2000-01 2,288,000 1,976,000 
			 2001-02 2,365,000 2,042,500 
			 2002-03 2,403,500 2,075,750 
			 2003-04 2,442,000 2,109,000 
			 2004-05 2,508,000 2,166,000 
			 2005-06 1,804,050 — 
			 (1) Prior to 2000-01 Contributions in Lieu of Rates, (CILOR), applied to the Palace of Westminster as Crown land.  (2 )For the rates period from 2000-01 to 2004-05 the valuation was successfully appealed, resulting in a reduced rating valuation and a subsequent rebate as shown as the revised rates figure.

Age Positive Week

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the costs of Age Positive Week were, broken down by main budget heading.

James Purnell: Information that is available is in the following table
	
		
			  Age positive week 2006 
			   Cost (£) 
			 Events 88,468.06 
			 PR/Media 29,142.55 
			 Advertising 68,299.00 
			 Total 185,909.61 
			  Notes:1. Age Positive Week is part of DWP's activity to raise awareness of issues around our extending working life and age diversity agenda. The activities for the Week will have been complemented by ongoing PR activity and these costs are included above.2. Cost of the events include refreshments, speakers, event management, and other associated costs.3. All costs are exclusive of VAT

Bereavement Allowance

Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will take steps to increase the number of men receiving bereavement allowance; and if he will make a statement.

James Plaskitt: We keep under review the way that information is made available about benefits so that bereaved people, at this very difficult time in their lives, know about their possible right to benefit and can act on it at the right time.
	As well as traditional sources of information we are working in partnership with funeral directors, registrars and voluntary groups such as Cruse, National Association of Widows and Citizens Advice Bureaux who may be contacted by bereaved people. In addition we will continue to look for opportunities across Government and their services as they develop, to improve advice about this particular benefit, to those most in need of it—the newly bereaved.

Child Support Agency

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what his latest estimate is of the cost to his Department of Sir David Henshaw's review of the Child Support Agency, broken down by  (a) travel costs,  (b) salary costs for Sir David Henshaw,  (c) other staff costs,  (d) telephone costs and  (e) other costs; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  whom Sir David Henshaw has interviewed to date for his review of the future of the Child Support Agency;
	(3)  by what date he plans to make a statement on the future of the Child Support Agency; and if he will make a statement.

James Plaskitt: The redesign of child support is ongoing. Sir David Henshaw will deliver his findings to my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions before the summer recess. It is the intention to publish Sir David Henshaw's report when a statement is made to the House.
	The Henshaw redesign's estimated total costs between February 2006 and July 2006 will be as follows:
	
		
			   Estimated cost (£) 
			  Sir David Henshaw's:  
			 Time 54,000 
			 Redesign secretariat staffing 200,000 
			 Redesign non-staff costs and publication up to 75,000 
			 Redesign research/consultation 50,000 
			  Note:Figures are rounded to the nearest £1,000. 
		
	
	The DWP also meets the costs of general office overheads for example accommodation, IT etc. These costs are not separately identifiable from DWP running costs.
	Information on costs to this Department are not yet available. The redesign secretariat is staffed by employees from the Department for Work and Pensions and the Cabinet Office and the costs detailed are an estimate of the direct costs of Sir David Henshaw and his team for both Departments.
	Sir David Henshaw's report will contain the details of the costs incurred by this Department and representations made to him.

Child Support Agency

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to his Department's press release of 26 September 2005, why the gateway service for help with the resolution of potential Child Support Agency cases has not been established to date; and what representations he has received on this issue.

James Plaskitt: The extent to which mediators could be used to secure agreement between the parents on the subject of child support maintenance is clearly an area to be considered by Sir David Henshaw in his redesign. He is looking at initiatives across Government, including those in Department for Constitutional Affairs and Department for Education and Skills, with the aim of identifying scope for closer working so that all government interventions will ensure parents both take financial responsibility for their children and reach agreements that reflect the best interests of their children.

Child Support Agency

Phil Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much he estimates the Henshaw Review into the Child Support Agency will cost.

James Plaskitt: holding answer 13 June 2006
	The Henshaw redesigns estimated total costs between February 2006 and July 2006 will be as follows:
	
		
			   Estimated cost (£) 
			  Sir David Henshaw's:  
			 Time 54,000 
			 Redesign secretariat staffing 200,000 
			 Redesign non-staff costs and publication up to 75,000 
			 Redesign research/ consultation 50,000 
			  Note:Figures are rounded to the nearest £1000. 
		
	
	The DWP also meets the costs of general office overheads for example accommodation, IT etc. These costs are not separately identifiable from DWP running costs.

Error Task Force

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people have worked in the Error Task Force in each year since it was introduced, broken down by civil service grade; what targets have been set for the Task Force; when it is expected to report to Ministers; and whether its report will be published.

James Plaskitt: The Official Error Task Force was set up in January 2006 with the aim of reducing official error in income support, jobseekers allowance and pension credit during 2006-07. It meets monthly with membership representing key policy and operational areas.
	Information regarding the number of people who have participated in the Official Error Task Force broken down by civil service grade is in the table.
	
		
			  Official Error Task Force 
			  Civil service grade  Full-time/part-time  Number of staff 
			 SCS Part-time 4 
			 UG6 Part-time 2 
			 UG7 Part-time 4 
			 SEO Full-time 1 
			 HEO Full-time 1 
		
	
	The Task Force is also working with a number of people to implement its improvement activities. It reports directly to the Permanent Secretary. Progress reports are provided to Ministers on a regular basis.
	The first set of official error estimates covering the period of the Task Force are due to be published in summer 2007.

European Social Fund

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will place in the Library the information given to the hon. Member for the Vale of York under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 regarding how much companies, contracting bodies and local authorities received in each of the last five years from the European Social Fund.

James Plaskitt: The information has been placed in the Library.

Information Technology

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much was spent on information technology (IT) sourced from outside his Department in each of the last five years; who is responsible for such projects in his Department; and what IT  (a) expertise and  (b) qualifications they possess.

James Purnell: The information in the table lists the Department's IT spend sourced outside the DWP over the five years 2001-02 to 2005-06.
	
		
			  Financial year  Spend (£ million) 
			 2005-06 1,156 
			 2004-05 1,070 
			 2003-04 1,073 
			 2002-03 941 
			 2001-02 651 
		
	
	The Department's Chief Information Officer (CIO) is responsible for the delivery of projects that relate to IT and the Department's modernisation programme—in coordination with the client groups, agencies and corporate functions—to ensure procurement of effective, reliable information systems and services that are value for money. The Chief Information Officer is also Head of Profession for programme and project management and for information systems.
	The Department's Chief Information Officer, client group and corporate Directors General and agency Chief Executives have extensive experience of delivering major projects in the public and private sectors.

Interest-only Mortgages

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will raise the £100,000 limit on interest only mortgages for those people on benefit who are disabled and have adaptations made to their home.

James Plaskitt: Help with interest payments is limited to the interest on outstanding capital of £100,000. The only exception to this rule is where the loan is needed to make the home suitable for a disabled member of the household.

Language Line

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the annual cost of Language Line has been in each of the last five years, broken down by region.

Anne McGuire: The table provides details of departmental expenditure on Language Line for each agency in the last five years. The category entitled 'other' refers to usage by departmental cross-cutting services.
	Language Line costs cannot be provided on a regional basis as they are not collated this way.
	
		
			  DWP Language Line expenditure 
			  £ 
			   2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  Total 
			 Agency Appeals Service — 449.50 547.80 429.65 3,612.90 5,039.85 
			 Child Support Agency 14,191.49 20,435.00 22,691.50 42,343.45 37,348.35 137,009.79 
			 Disability and Carers Service 6,221.71 5,602.65 6,466.06 7,529.50 13,077.30 38,897.22 
			 Debt Management — 17.00 — 276.30 299.50 592.80 
			 Jobcentre Plus 380,784.68 895,807.90 974,289.46 913,270.10 1,301,822.61 4,465,974.75 
			 The Pension Service 5,197.80 11,295.15 39,089.41 72,479.25 166,388.85 294,450.46 
			 Other 2,066.38 6,795.40 23,381.22 103,768.40 49,014.86 185,026.26 
			 Total 408,462.06 940,402.60 1,066,465.45 1,140,096.65 1,571,564.37 5,126,991.13

National Insurance Numbers

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his estimate is of the total value of welfare benefit claims made by individuals issued with a national insurance number who were referred to the Immigration and Nationality Directorate due to  (a) suspicion about their eligibility to work in the UK,  (b) the use of false documents and  (c) other reasons in each of the last five years.

James Plaskitt: The information is not available.

Pensions

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the change in the proportion of pension contributions from  (a) employers and  (b) employees following the transfer of pension schemes from defined benefit to defined contribution schemes since 2002-03.

James Purnell: Information is not available in the format requested.
	Weighted average employer and employee contribution rates in private sector occupational pension schemes in 2000, 2004 and 2005 are shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Private sector occupational pension schemes( 1)  2000  2004  2005 
			  Employer contribution (percentage)
			 Defined Benefit schemes 9.9 14.5 16.0 
			 Defined Contribution schemes 4.3 6 6.3 
			 
			  Employee contribution (percentage)
			 Defined Benefit schemes 4.2 4.3 4.4 
			 Defined Contribution schemes 2.7 2.9 2.7 
			 (1) Pension schemes with 12 or more members. Source: Government Actuary's Department Occupational Pension Schemes Survey, 2000, 2004 and 2005

Pensions

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will estimate  (a) the number of people affected by and  (b) the total savings to the Treasury from the abolition of adult dependency increases, as proposed in the White Paper, Security in Retirement, Towards a New Pensions System in (i) 2020, (ii) 2030, (iii) 2040 and (iv) 2050.

James Purnell: The information requested is set out in the following table:
	
		
			   Expenditure saved (£ billion)  Number of people affected 
			 2020 1.4 660,000 
			 2030 1.4 630,000 
			 2040 1.1 520,000 
			 2050 1.2 580,000 
			  Notes:1. Expenditure is in 2006-07 price terms and all figures are for UK and overseas cases.2. Estimates of expenditure changes are consistent with the policy detail set out in the White Paper.3. Savings presented in the table are additional to long-term projections of United Kingdom benefit spend, consistent with the Budget Report 2006 but are subsumed in the overall costs of the proposals as set out in the White Paper.4. Currently around 66,000 people (the vast majority of whom are men) receive an adult dependency increase of state pension.5. The numbers in the table take account of the equalisation of State Pension age between 2010 and 2020 and are based on current rates of female labour market participation.6. The numbers affected are rounded to the nearest 10,000.

Post Office Card Account

Anne Snelgrove: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the impact of the withdrawal of Post Office card accounts on the blind and partially sighted.

James Plaskitt: Post Office Ltd. made a number of improvements to its PIN pads to ensure its banking services were accessible to as many customers as possible, including those who are blind and partially sighted. Customers using a bank account at the Post Office follow exactly the same routine as those using a Post Office card account. They insert their plastic cards in the same PIN pads before entering their PIN number. So any blind or partially sighted people who have used a card account should equally well be able to use a bank account at their post office branch.

Targeting Fraud Website

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how many hits the Targeting Fraud website has received, broken down by month; how many cases of suspected fraud have been reported to the website; how many of these suspected cases have been investigated; how many  (a) cases of fraud have been established,  (b) changes to benefits have been made and  (c) successful prosecutions there have been as a result; and what sentences have been imposed by the courts where prosecutions have been successful;
	(2)  how many submissions have been made to the Targeting Fraud website in each month since January 2000; how many referrals for investigation were made as a result of submissions to the Targeting Fraud website; how many investigations were completed as a result of submissions to the website; and how many prosecutions have resulted from website submissions.

James Plaskitt: Information is not available broken down by month. Information on sentences arising from investigations as a direct result of the Targeting Fraud website is not available.
	The available information is in the following table.
	
		
			  Targeting Fraud website 
			   Hits received  Cases reported to website  Cases referred for investigation  Cases accepted for investigation  Cases completed  Cases with change of benefit  Cases successfully prosecuted 
			 May 2000 to March 2001 1,468,696 (1)— 938 319 184 28 — 
			 April 2001 to March 2002 222,421 8,453 2,734 1,067 673 152 4 
			 April 2002 to March 2003 123,681 8,309 3,150 1,201 1,126 290 24 
			 April 2003 to March 2004 547,769 23,386 9,315 3,523 2,010 481 24 
			 April 2004 to March 2005 622,692 33,891 15,237 5,862 4,100 1,277 36 
			 March 2005 to April 2006 (2)— 58,381 37,411 10,709 7,914 2,286 72 
			 (1) Not available.(2) Not yet available. Note:Records commenced from May 2000, when the Targeting Fraud website became available. Source:DWP Communications -Targeting Fraud, National Benefit Fraud Hotline (NBFH), Fraud Information by Sector (FIBS).

Afghanistan

Boris Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if she will make a statement on the case of Abdul Rahman, convicted in Afghanistan for apostasy.

Kim Howells: Abdul Rahman was not convicted of apostasy.
	Due to apparent procedural flaws in the case, the apostasy charges against Mr. Rahman were referred back to the Attorney-General's Office and he was released from custody on 26 March 2006.
	I refer the hon. Member to my public statement of22 March 2006, available on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office website at http://www.fco.gov.uk/servlet/Front?pagename=OpenMarket/Xcelerate/Show Page&c=Page&cid=1007029391629&a=KArticle&aid =1142704623955%20&year=2006&month=2006-03-01 &date=2006-03-22, and to the reply I gave the hon. Member for Clwyd, West (Mr. Jones) on 28 March 2006,  Official Report, column 914W.

Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress has been made towards the implementation of the 13 practical steps for nuclear disarmament adopted in 2000 at the non-proliferation treaty review conference.

Kim Howells: The UK is fulfilling all its obligations under the treaty on the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons (NPT), including those on disarmament under Article VI of the treaty. We continue to support the relevant disarmament measures contained in the Final Document from the NPT Review Conference (RevCon) in 2000, including the 13 practical steps towards disarmament, and we have a good record on meeting the priorities they set out. Not all of the 13 steps are relevant to the UK, such as those relating to bilateral measures between the US and Russia. However, we have made progress on the majority of the other steps. For example, in 2000, the UK initiated a research programme to study techniques and technologies that could be used to verify nuclear disarmament. Conclusions of this programme were presented to the 2005 NPT RevCon. We continue to call for the entry into force of the comprehensive test ban treaty as soon as possible and, pending its entry into force, maintain a moratorium on nuclear weapons test explosions and any other nuclear explosions. The UK is also pressing for the immediate commencement of negotiations on a fissile material cut-off treaty, without pre-conditions, at the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva.

Terror Victims

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress has been made in  (a) providing financial support and  (b) improving information and logistical support for British citizens who are victims of terrorist attacks abroad; and if she will make a statement.

Kim Howells: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has in place a package of immediate assistance measures to help victims of terrorism overseas and their families in the immediate aftermath of a terrorist incident overseas. This is available in the absence of an insurance policy, employer's scheme or any other form of assistance.
	Depending on the circumstances, the support we offer on top of our normal support may include, for example: medical evacuation for people who have been injured or evacuation for people in danger (this may not necessarily be to the UK but to a safe place in the region); paying immediate medical expenses; transporting bodies or remains back home; paying the return luggage costs of those killed or injured; travel for two members of the victim's family to the site of the attack; and accommodation and travel insurance.
	In addition to this support, victims of major catastrophes overseas, or their families, need further help when they return to the UK. The Humanitarian Assistance Unit in the Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) work with the relevant agencies and services to help victims to get the aftercare they need.
	The Chancellor announced in the Budget a£1 million initial endowment to a charitable fund to help the British victims of terrorism. The fund will provide rapid relief to meet the immediate financial needs of those caught up in a terrorist attack -whether in the UK or overseas. The DCMS is working in consultation with the voluntary sector, partners in Government and victims' groups to finalise the details and will make a further announcement in due course.
	Information and logistical support has been improved by the deployment of Rapid Deployment Teams (RDTs) to the areas affected. These volunteers are trained consular officers who travel to the area to assist our embassy/high commission with the incident. Their tasks range from meeting family members, visits to morgues, assisting with medevacs etc. The RDTs also consist of personnel from International SOS and the British Red Cross.

Venezuela

Colin Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps have been taken to promote British commercial interests in Venezuela.

Geoff Hoon: We actively support UK commercial interests in Venezuela through our embassy in Caracas, UK Trade and Investment and UK regional partners. UK exports to Venezuela have grown in recent years:£236 million in 2005 (26 per cent. up on 2004). The embassy and its partners work closely with the Venezuelan authorities, national and private companies, and chambers of commerce in Venezuela to identify and report commercial opportunities that could benefit UK enterprises. This year we will support five outward missions to Venezuela by UK small and medium-sized enterprises and two inward missions to the UK by Venezuelan companies seeking joint venture partnerships and alliances.

Weapons of Terror Report

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment she has made of recommendation  (a) 58,  (b) 26,  (c) 20,  (d) 19,  (e) 7 and  (f) 45 of the Weapons of Mass Destruction Commission Report on Weapons of Terror; and if she will make a statement.

Kim Howells: The UK has not yet made a full assessment of the various recommendations contained in the report of the Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) Commission, "Weapons of Terror". However, we consider it to be a valuable contribution to the continuing discussion of proliferation in many fora around the world and will study it closely.
	The UK takes its disarmament obligations under Article VI of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) very seriously and we have an excellent record in this area. We have reduced the explosive power of our nuclear forces by over 70 per cent. since the end of the cold war and currently have a stockpile of less than 200 operational warheads. We continue to support the relevant measures agreed at the 1995 and 2000 NPT Review Conferences and have a good record on meeting the priorities they set out. We also remain fully committed to the negative and positive security assurances we gave to non-nuclear weapon States Parties to the NPT in 1995.
	The UK is fully committed to progress in multilateral disarmament fora, in particular in the Conference on Disarmament (CD). We continue to press for the immediate commencement of negotiations on a Fissile Material Cut-Off Treaty, without pre-conditions, in the CD. However, we believe that the CD must continue to operate by consensus if we are to make progress on these serious matters.
	The Outer Space Treaty (1967), to which the UK is a Depository, places important constraints on the use of space, prohibiting the deployment of WMD in space and military activity on the moon and other celestial bodies. There is no international consensus on the need to start negotiations on a new international instrument governing the military use of space.

Abortion

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many women taking the abortion drug RU 486 suffered  (a) excessive bleeding,  (b) haemorrhaging when the foetus was expelled from the uterus,  (c) damage to the cervix and  (d) an infection in each of the last five years for which figures are available, broken down by(i) age of the woman, (ii) gestation of the pregnancy and (iii) region;
	(2)  how many women taking the abortion drug RU 486 required further treatment because the womb was not completely emptied of its contents or it failed to end the pregnancy in each of the last five years for which figures are available, broken down by  (a) age of the woman,  (b) gestation of the pregnancy and  (c) region.

Caroline Flint: The information requested is shown in the tables.
	Under the Abortion Act, any registered medical practitioner who terminates a pregnancy is required to supply the Chief Medical Officer with the information set out in the Abortion Regulations 1991. As such, information is not held centrally on how many women taking mifepristone (Mifegyne, RU486) required further treatment because the womb was not completely emptied of its contents or why the drug failed to end the pregnancy.
	
		
			  Total complications reported for abortions using mifepristone (Mifegyne, RU486) by gestation and age for residents, England, 2000-04 
			Gestation 
			Haemorrhage  Other complications( 1) 
			   Total complications  Under 13 weeks  13 weeks plus  Under 13 weeks  13 weeks plus 
			 2000 71 27 16 16 12 
			 2001 52 13 14 11 14 
			 2002 98 42 29 12 15 
			 2003 121 61 49 (2)— (2)— 
			 2004 93 58 25 (2)— (2)— 
		
	
	
		
			Age 
			Haemorrhage  Other complications( 1) 
			   Total complications  Under 25 years  25 years plus  Under 25 years  25 years plus 
			 2000 71 25 18 13 15 
			 2001 52 13 14 11 14 
			 2002 98 30 41 10 17 
			 2003 121 39 71 (2)— (2)— 
			 2004 93 35 48 (2)— (2)— 
			 (1) Includes uterine perforation and/or sepsis.  (2) For confidentiality reasons, totals less than 10 (0-9 cases) are suppressed. This is in line with the Office for National Statistics' guidance on the disclosure of abortion statistics, 2005.   Note:  Breakdown by region is not possible, for confidentiality reasons, due to small numbers.

Abortion

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the Answer of 18 May 2006,  Official Report, columns 1161-62W, on abortion, what estimate she has made of the cost of answering the question; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: Data on grounds, funding, gestation, and age is currently available but not in the format requested. We estimate it would take 33 hours, at a cost of £825, to extract the data and prepare the tables for publication, which is why we have previously stated that this information is only available at disproportionate cost.
	If these tables were to be produced, we believe, given the level of detail and areas of interest requested, much of it could not be made available due to patient confidentiality (the number of cases are likely to be very small).

Abortion

Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many women seeking an abortion in England gave a Northern Ireland address in each of the last five years, broken down by postcode.

Caroline Flint: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for Southend, West (Mr. Amess) on 19 April 2006,  Official Report, columns 730-31W. The information cannot be broken down by postcode due to patient confidentiality.

Accident Costs (Recoupment)

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how much has been recovered for the NHS in respect of recoupment of treatment costs from  (a) accident victims and  (b) insurance companies in each of the last three years; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  in what circumstances medical treatment costs can be recovered from  (a) insurers and  (b) accident victims, in respect of treatment under the NHS for injuries; what the maximum sums are that can be recovered in each case; and if she will make a statement;
	(3)  if she will extend the  (a) range of cases and  (b) maximum sum that can be recouped in respect of recovery of costs of medical treatment for (i) accident victims and (ii) insurers; and if she will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: For more than 70 years hospitals have been able to recover the costs of providing treatment to the victims of road traffic accidents where the injured person successfully claims personal injury compensation from the person responsible for the accident. The arrangements for this were streamlined and centralised through the Road Traffic (NHS Charges) Act 1999 which established a formal recovery scheme, operated on behalf of the Secretary of State by the Compensation Recovery Unit, part of the Department for Work and Pensions. Where a compensation payment is made to a road traffic accident victim by an insurer, the insurer is also obliged under the terms of the scheme to make a payment towards the cost of any hospital treatment the injured person needed, in accordance with a simple tariff system covering in-patient or outpatient treatment as appropriate. The injured person is not required to make any payment towards their own treatment costs under the scheme.
	At present the maximum amount that can be recovered in respect of any injury is £37,100. The tariffs and the maximum amount are uprated each year in line with Hospital and Community Health Services inflation. The amounts recovered in the last three years are as follows:
	
		
			   £ 
			 2003-04 105,654,936 
			 2004-05 117,504,738 
			 2005-06 121,500,568 
		
	
	Part three of the Health and Social Care (Community Health and Standards) Act 2003 laid the legislative framework for a wider-ranging NHS Injury Costs Recovery (ICR) scheme to be established, subsuming the existing road traffic accident scheme and extending it to all cases where personal injury compensation is paid to an injured person who has received national health service hospital treatment. Following a public consultation on draft regulations that will govern the operation of the ICR scheme, it was decided to widen the scope for the scheme to take into account contributory negligence where this has been a factor in the primary compensation claim. The necessary amendment to the 2003 Act is contained in the Health Bill. In order to allow adequate time for the Bill to complete its passage through Parliament and for the amending clause to be brought into effect from the outset of the ICR scheme, the scheme is now expected to be introduced from 29 January 2007. The intention is to transfer the tariffs and maximum amount from the existing roads traffic scheme, together with the introduction of a new tariff covering the cost of ambulance journeys required to take the injured person to hospital. As now, these amounts will be uprated annually.

Acute Care Beds

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many acute care beds per 100,000 population have been provided in each financial year since 1997-98 in each strategic health authority area.

Andy Burnham: Data for the years 2002-03, 2003-04 and 2004-05 is shown in the following table. Strategic health authorities (SHAs) were established in 2002 and, therefore, data prior to 2002-03 are not available on a SHA basis.
	
		
			  Average daily number of available acute beds per 100,000 head of population, SHAs in England, 2002-03 to 2004-05 
			   Beds per 100,000 people 
			  SHA name  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05 
			 Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire SHA 213.7 218.9 211.8 
			 Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire SHA 125.6 129.1 135.9 
			 Essex SHA 149.2 152.5 151.3 
			 North West London SHA 215.1 215.1 218.7 
			 North Central London SHA 267.7 276.7 268.8 
			 North East London SHA 224.5 226.6 221.5 
			 South East London SHA 209.5 209.3 204.9 
			 South West London SHA 203.2 210.9 217.3 
			 Northumberland, Tyne and Wear SHA 274.2 275.3 273.0 
			 County Durham and Tees Valley SHA 240.8 245.6 238.5 
			 North and East Yorkshire and North Lincolnshire SHA 197.1 195.6 195.1 
			 West Yorkshire SHA 230.6 228.8 221.3 
			 Cumbria and Lancashire SHA 232.1 230.3 221.5 
			 Greater Manchester SHA 277.6 282.0 278.8 
			 Cheshire and Merseyside SHA 269.6 271.2 276.1 
			 Thames Valley SHA 185.5 185.3 184.7 
			 Hampshire and Isle of Wight SHA 194.6 200.2 199.9 
			 Kent and Medway SHA 157.3 155.4 158.3 
			 Surrey and Sussex SHA 179.3 191.8 184.2 
			 Avon, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire SHA 243.1 244.1 244.5 
			 South West Peninsula SHA 258.4 261.0 256.9 
			 Dorset and Somerset SHA 215.3 223.2 218.2 
			 South Yorkshire SHA 307.5 297.5 302.4 
			 Trent SHA 196.3 193.7 190.9 
			 Leicestershire, Northamptonshire and Rutland SHA 198.5 194.8 189.7 
			 Shropshire and Staffordshire SHA 184.9 185.1 184.0 
			 Birmingham and The Black Country SHA 266.2 262.2 268.9 
			 West Midlands South SHA 214.0 204.7 205.2 
			 England total 219.0 220.2 218.6 
			  Source:  Department of Health form KH03 and the Office for National Statistics

Childhood Obesity

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the incidence of  (a) overweight and  (b) obesity was amongst children in England aged under 16 years in each year since 1997.

Caroline Flint: The main source of data on the prevalence of obesity is the Health Survey for England. The table shows the most recent data on the estimated prevalence of overweight and obesity in children aged two to 15 between 1997 and 2004. Data for 2005-06 is not yet available.
	
		
			  Prevalence of overweight and obesity among children( 1) , by gender, 1997 to 2004: England 
			  Percentage 
			   Unweighted  Weighted( 2) 
			   1997  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2003  2004 
			  Boys   
			 overweight 13.0 14.6 14.4 12.4 15.0 13.7 14.6 13.7 14.6 13.9 
			 obese 12.7 13.0 16.4 14.5 15.5 16.9 17.0 18.9 17.0 19.2 
			
			  Girls   
			 overweight 13.1 13.6 13.5 12.7 15.2 13.9 14.4 16.3 14.6 16.6 
			 obese 12.4 13.8 13.7 14.2 14.5 17.1 16.1 17.8 16.1 18.5 
			
			  Bases   
			 Boys 3,063 1,981 977 877 1,653 3,745 1,410 645 1,452 8,833 
			 Girls 3,069 1,872 950 841 1,699 3,636 1,444 579 1,393 8,228 
			 (1) Children aged two to 15 years.  (2 )From 2003 data are weighted for non response. Data weighted for child selection only are provided for consistency with previous years.   Source:  Health Survey for England 2004. Updating of trend tables to include 2004 data. The Information Centre

Departmental Publications

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which statistical publications produced by her Department are issued  (a) weekly,  (b) fortnightly,  (c) monthly,  (d) quarterly and  (e) annually; and what the planned date of publication is of each during (i) 2006 and (ii) the first half of 2007.

Andy Burnham: No departmental statistical publications are issued weekly or fortnightly. The following departmental statistical publication is issued monthly on its website:
	National health service in-patient and out-patient waiting times figures
	The following departmental statistical publications are issued quarterly on its website:
	NHS in-patient and out-patient waiting: events occurring during the quarter
	Waiting times for suspected cancer patients
	Accident and emergency (A and E) activity; total time spent in A and E from arrival to admission, discharge or transfer and waiting for emergency admission through A and E
	Cancelled operations
	The following departmental statistical publication is issued bi-annually on its website:
	Critical care beds: census day
	The following departmental statistical publications are issued annually on its website:
	Abortion statistics: England and Wales
	Imaging and radio diagnostics
	Bed availability and occupancy
	The following departmental statistical publication is regularly updated; the exact timing is dependent on publication of National Patient Survey results by the Healthcare Commission:
	Public Service Agreement Scores on Patient Experience
	Timing of annual and other statistical publications produced by the Department is pre-announced by way of a 12-month publication plan on its website which is available at: www.dh.gov.uk/PublicationsAndStatistics/Statistics/CodeOfPractice/12MonthPlan/fs/en? CONTENT_ID=4016423&chk=eLDBG/.
	This plan also currently includes statistical publications produced by the Information Centre for health and social care.
	The Department process for pre-announcing statistical publications is carried out in accordance with the National Statistics protocol for release practices.

Dermatology

Bruce George: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the use of the NHS Guidelines for the Appointment of General Practitioners with Special Interests in the Delivery of Clinical Services: Dermatology by primary care trusts when making such appointments; what steps she is taking to  (a) monitor the appointment of such general practitioners and  (b) ensure that such appointments are being made in line with the guidelines; and what plans she has to review the guidelines.

Rosie Winterton: In conjunction with the Royal College of General Practitioners, national guidelines have been developed across a number of specialties to assist primary care trusts (PCTs) accredit general practitioners with special interests (GPwSIs). GPwSIs are PCT-led services, and it is for them to ensure they reflect national guidelines and meet local need.
	The Department is currently reviewing all existing guidelines in the context of the White Paper "Our health, our care, our say: a new direction for community services" published in January 2006, which identified the need to accelerate the development of facilities and services being provided closer to home. These updated guidelines will also include new advice on how commissioners should accredit services to meet national standards. These will be published later this year.

Foster Review

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she plans to publish  (a) the findings of the Foster Review and  (b) recommendations for the reform of health care regulation.

Andy Burnham: I refer my hon. Friend to the reply given on 15 May 2006,  Official Report, column 694W.

Influenza

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 18 April 2006,  Official Report, column 229W, on influenza, what steps she has taken to ensure that expanded production capacity for pandemic influenza vaccine is located in the UK.

Rosie Winterton: Last year, the Department invited manufacturers to tender for a contract to supply pandemic flu vaccine once the pandemic strain is known. The tendering process for these contracts is ongoing and we cannot comment on the location until this is completed.

Mental Health

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment her Department has made of the findings of the Royal College of Psychiatrists that Irish-born people living in London have the highest rates of death and depression of any migrant group; and if she will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: The Department has not made a direct assessment of the Royal College of Psychiatrists' findings. However, the Department published guidance entitled "Celebrating our Cultures: Guidelines for Mental Health Promotion with Black and Minority Ethnic Communities" in December 2004 which includes a specific chapter on promoting the mental health of people from the Irish community.
	The National Suicide Prevention Strategy for England'(2002) recognised the risk of suicide in black and minority ethnic groups and consequently a black and minority ethnic suicide research project has been commissioned to provide comprehensive information on the risk factors for suicide and suicide attempts in different ethnic groups, including the Irish community. This information will be published in due course.
	"Delivering Race Equality in Mental Health Care"(2005), a five year action plan for improving black and minority ethnic communities1 access to, and experience of, mental health care includes Irish communities, and the Federation of Irish Societies is represented on the "Delivering Race Equality" national steering group.

National Recruitment and Retention Premium

Michael Clapham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health for what reasons NHS employers are not paying the national recruitment and retention premium to the building craft grade; when the review of that non-payment is planned to take place; and if she will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: There is no nationally agreed recruitment and retention premium for building craft workers working in the national health service. It is for employers to decide whether or not there is evidence to justify payment of local recruitment and retention premia.
	NHS employers in partnership with national trades unions have recently agreed to review the national recruitment and retention premia set out in the agenda for change agreement.

NHS Direct

Greg Pope: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the total expenditure on NHS Direct  (a) is in 2006-07 and  (b) was in each of the last three years.

Rosie Winterton: Expenditure by NHS Direct is only available for 2003-04 and 2004-05. 2005-06 and future years information is not yet available.
	In 2003-04 the expenditure by NHS Direct was £121,988,000 and in 2004-05 £148,362,000. These figures are from the audited statutory accounts and are publicly available on the NHS Direct website at www.nhs direct.nhs.uk/articles/article.aspx?articleId=1242.

NHS Drug Budget

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the NHS drug budget has been in each year since 1997.

Andy Burnham: Primary care and national health service trust drugs budgets are not determined centrally. Trusts are responsible for setting their own budgets, decisions on the level of funding will depend on local priorities.
	The following table gives the total drugs bill since 1997.
	
		
			   Outturn (£ million) 
			 1997-98 5,173 
			 1998-99 5,550 
			 1999-2000 6,202 
			 2000-01 6,688 
			 2001-02 7,447 
			 2002-03 8,355 
			 2003-04 9,271 
			 2004-05 9,965 
			  Notes:  1. Figures are net which include pharmaceutical price regulation scheme receipt savings.  2. The total drugs spend include drugs expenditure in primary care and the hospital and community health service (HCHS). The primary care expenditure reflects amounts paid to pharmacy and appliance contractors and amounts authorised for dispending doctors and personal administration in England. HCHS expenditure includes drugs and medical gases.  3. From 2000-01, figures are in resource terms, prior to this figures are in cash terms. Cash figures relate to February to January prescribing due to delay in prescription processing and payment calculations. Resource figures represent the actual cost between April to March.   Source:  Prescription Pricing Division, England and Department of Health Finance Division.

NHS Finance

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health about which NHS trusts and organisations she has received warnings under section 19 or section 8 of the Audit Commission Act 1998; and on which organisations auditors are considering posting Public Interest Reports.

Andy Burnham: Auditors appointed by the Audit Commission to audit the accounts of national health service bodies have the discretionary power under section 8 of the Audit Commission Act 1998 to issue a report in the public interest.
	Section 8 of the Act requires auditors in auditing the accounts to consider whether, in the public interest, they should report on any matter coming to their notice in the course of the audit, in order for it to be considered by the body concerned or brought to the attention of the public. The auditor can issue an immediate report if the public interest requires it, or can issue a report at the conclusion of the audit.
	Since 1 April 2005, auditors have issued section 8 reports to the following NHS organisations:
	Cambridge City Primary Care Trust (PCT) and South Cambridgeshire PCT
	Central Suffolk PCT, Ipswich PCT and Suffolk Coastal PCT
	Cheshire West PCT
	George Eliot Hospital PCT
	Hampshire and Isle of Wight Strategic Health Authority (SHA)
	Hillingdon PCT
	Hounslow PCT
	Kennet and North Wiltshire PCT
	Kensington and Chelsea PCT
	Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust
	New Forest Primary Care Trust
	North Somerset PCT
	North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Trust
	Queen Elizabeth Hospital NHS Trust
	Royal West Sussex NHS Trust
	Royal Wolverhampton Hospitals NHS Trust
	Scarborough and North East Yorkshire NHS Trust
	Selby and York PCT
	Shrewsbury and Telford Hospitals NHS Trust
	South Tees Hospitals NHS Trust
	Southampton University Hospitals NHS Trust
	Suffolk West PCT
	Surrey and Sussex SHA
	Thames Valley SHA
	Trafford Healthcare NHS Trust
	University Hospital North Staffordshire NHS Trust
	West Hertfordshire Quadrant—West Hertfordshire NHS Trust, St. Albans and Hertsmere PCT, Hertsmere PCT, Watford and Three Rivers PCT and Dacorum PCT
	West Wiltshire PCT
	Weston Area Health NHS Trust
	 Note:
	The section 8 reports issued to these NHS organisations also constituted a referral to Secretary of State under section 19 of the Act.
	There will be other cases where the auditors are considering when/whether to issue reports. Comprehensive information on these is not held centrally.
	Section 19 of the Audit Commission Act 1998 requires an appointed auditor to refer matters to the Secretary of State if he/she has reason to believe that an NHS organisation has made a decision which involves, or may involve, unlawful expenditure (known as referrals to the Secretary of State). These reports are not published.
	Since 1 April 2005, auditors have made referrals, under section 19, in respect of the following NHS organisations:
	The section 19 referrals issued to these NHS organisations were in respect of spending above the PCTs allocated limit and did not have a full report to the Secretary of State.
	Ashford and St. Peters NHS Trust
	Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust
	Bedfordshire Heartlands PCT
	Bexley Care Trust PCT
	Billericay, Brentwood and Wickford PCT
	Blackwater Valley and Hart PCT
	Broadland PCT
	Burntwood, Lichfield and Tamworth PCT
	Cambridge City PCT
	Cannock Chase PCT
	Canterbury and Coastal PCT
	Central Cornwall PCT
	Central Suffolk PCT
	Charnwood and North West Leicestershire PCT
	Chelmsford PCT
	Cherwell Vale PCT
	Cheshire West PCT
	Chiltern and South Bucks PCT
	Colchester PCT
	Cotswold and Vale PCT
	Dacorum PCT
	Dartford, Gravesham and Swanley PCT
	East Elmbridge and Mid Surrey PCT
	East Hampshire PCT
	East Lincolnshire PCT
	East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust
	Eastbourne Downs POT
	Eastleigh and Test Valley PCT
	Fareham and Gosport PCT
	Guildford and Waverley PCT
	Harrow PCT
	Havering PCT
	Hertsmere PCT
	Hillingdon PCT
	Hounslow PCT
	Huntingdonshire PCT
	Ipswich PCT
	Isle of Wight PCT
	Kennet and North Wiltshire PCT
	Kensington and Chelsea PCT
	Kingston PCT
	Leicester City West PCT
	Luton PCT
	Maidstone Weald PCT
	Maldon and South Chelmsford PCT
	Medway PCT
	Mid Hampshire PCT
	Milton Keynes PCT
	New Forest PCT
	Newbury and Community PCT
	Newcastle under Lyme PCT
	Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire SHA
	North and East Cornwall PCT
	North Birmingham PCT
	North Bristol NHS Trust
	North Devon PCT
	North East Oxfordshire PCT
	North Hampshire PCT
	North Hertfordshire and Stevenage PCT
	North Norfolk PCT
	North Somerset PCT
	North Stoke PCT
	Norwich PCT
	Oldbury and Smethwick PCT
	Royal United Bath Hospital NHS Trust
	Royal West Sussex NHS Trust
	Selby and York PCT
	South and East Dorset PCT
	South Cambridgeshire PCT
	South East Hertfordshire PCT
	South Leicestershire PCT
	South Stoke PCT
	South West Oxfordshire PCT
	South Western Staffordshire PCT
	South Wiltshire PCT
	Southampton City PCT
	Southern Norfolk PCT
	St. Albans and Harpenden PCT
	Staffordshire Moorlands PCT
	Suffolk Coastal PCT
	Suffolk West PCT
	Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust
	Sussex Downs and Weald PCT
	Swale PCT
	Thurrock PCT
	United Bristol Healthcare NHS Trust
	Vale of Aylesbury PCT
	Waltham Forest PCT
	Wandsworth PCT
	Watford and 3 Rivers PCT
	Waveney PCT
	Welwyn Hatfield PCT
	West Gloucestershire PCT
	West Norfolk PCT
	West of Cornwall PCT
	West Wiltshire PCT
	Weston Area Health NHS Trust
	Witham, Braintree and Halstead PCT
	Worcester Acute Hospitals NHS Trust
	Wycombe PCT
	Wyre Forest PCT
	Yorkshire Wolds and Coast PCT

NHS IT Programme

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 16 May 2006,  Official Report, column 944W, on the NHS IT programme, if she will list the organisations and individuals who responded to the consultation; and what meetings the NHS Information Authority carried out as part of its research.

Caroline Flint: A list of names of all the organisations and individuals that responded at one or other stage of the consultation process around the national specification for integrated care records service is not held centrally. Some of the responses were provided by organisations which are no longer active.
	The original "National Specification for Integrated Care Records Service (Consultation Draft)" was issued in July 2002 by the NHS Information Authority. Some 190 responses to the document were received from suppliers, clinicians, chief information officers (CIOs) information technology (IT) departments of national health service bodies and others, commenting on such aspects as architecture, functional omissions and the realisation of benefits that such a system would produce. These comments were included and formed the base document for the early draft of the output based specification (OBS). This draft was then refined. The clinical input was provided by almost three hundred individuals, and the IT community (IT managers and CIO's) numbered a further one hundred. A broad spectrum of NHS stakeholders was then engaged to review the draft OBS. The review group encompassed leading clinicians, practitioners, policy advisors, health informaticians and managers and included representatives from the Department, the NHS Information Authority, strategic health authorities, NHS trusts, primary care trusts, general practitioners, academic groups and other Government Departments.
	It is known that many of these people also sought input from colleagues and we estimate that this cascade has resulted in many thousands of individuals having had a material input to the content and quality of the product.
	A final list of 239 people was invited to review the OBS, from which a total of 105 formal review documents were received. From the 900 pages reviewed there were 1,175 comments of substance. These comments resulted in a further refined version of the OBS which was then distributed for any final comment. A response to every individual comment was returned to the reviewer in question.
	Reflecting a level of transparency unprecedented for major projects within Government, the OBS was published to the public domain in July 2003 and is available on the Department's website at www.dh.gov .uk/PublicationsAndStatistics/.
	In addition to many hundreds of internal meetings, there were 44 meetings held by the clinicians from the national programme with important stakeholders and stakeholder groups. These included several chairs of the Royal Colleges, and presentations to many hundreds of clinicians at various locations around the country.
	Data on those consulted on ways of managing the confidentiality of patient health information have been placed in the Library.
	23 meetings were carried out as part of the research phase in addition to eight focus groups and 56 face-to-face interviews, involving patients, researchers, suppliers, senior care service managers, and NHS information governance professionals.

NHS IT Support

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what mechanisms have been put in place to manage the performance of strategic health authorities under option 2 of the procurement strategy outlined in paragraph 3.6.1 of her Department's publication Delivering 21st century IT support for the NHS.

Caroline Flint: Strategic health authorities (SHAs) are responsible for co-ordinating local information technology investment and modernisation activities to deliver benefits from all of the national programme products and services to patients, staff and across the national health service. As part of the Department's regular performance management arrangements for the NHS, SHA chief executives are held to account for delivery priorities for the NHS. Progress in national programme implementation has been the focus of a particular and stringent performance management process instigated by the former senior responsible officer for the programme.
	These arrangements are complemented by a parallel process within individual SHAs, and by normal operational contacts with local NHS bodies to support and incentivise the deployment of national programme systems and services.

NHS Pension Scheme

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of members of the NHS pension scheme joined the scheme  (a) before the age of (i) 20 years, (ii) 25 years, (iii) 30 years, (iv) 35 years, (v) 40 years and (vi) 45 years and  (b) when they were over 45 years.

Rosie Winterton: Information on the proportion of joiners to the NHS Pension Scheme in the age bands requested from the year 2000 to date is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Age on joining NHS pension scheme  Percentage  Number 
			  Before age:   
			 20 5.68 46,185 
			 25 19.8 160,993 
			 30 17.03 138,451 
			 35 14.55 118,300 
			 40 13.16 106,945 
			 45 11.43 92,907 
			
			  Over age:   
			 45 18.34 149,118 
			 Total — 812,899 
			  Source:  Pensions Division of the NHS Business Services Authority

NHS Performance

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to her statement of 7 June 2006,  Official Report, column 257, on NHS performance, why surpluses generated by primary care trusts and NHS trusts are transferred to strategic health authorities; what assessment she has made of the impact of such transfers on the transparency of financial accounting in the NHS; which  (a) primary care trusts and  (b) NHS trusts have transferred surpluses to strategic health authorities in the 2005-06 financial year; how much was transferred in each case; under what authority strategic health authorities are permitted to retain surpluses generated by constituent trusts; and if she will make a statement.

Andy Burnham: Surpluses generated by primary care trusts (PCTs) are transferred and held by strategic health authorities (SHAs) to allow the SHA to balance the financial position across all the organisations they performance manage. This helps increase the transparency of financial accounting and reporting in the national health service, as it means SHAs can ensure that these surpluses are not used to mask overspends of poorly performing organisations.
	The Department did not require the SHAs separately to identify transfers of surpluses between PCTs and SHAs in their inter-authority transfer requests. However, for the current financial year the Department intends that transfers between PCTs and SHAs will be formally recorded in a note to their individual accounts.
	The Secretary of State has the power to make adjustments to the resource limits of PCTs and SHAs under section 97 of the National Health Service Act 1977 as amended.

Physiotherapists

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many physiotherapists were employed within the NHS in  (a) 2005 and  (b) 2000.

Rosie Winterton: The number of qualified physiotherapists employed in the national health service in England in 2000 and 2005 at 30 September in each year were 15,608 and 19,997 respectively.

Radon Gas

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent research the Government have commissioned into the effects of radon gas.

Caroline Flint: The Government have contributed to research into the link between indoor radon and lung cancer in south-west England and also to animal studies of the risks of radon.
	Following the announcement/publication of the results of the large European-wide study of radon and lung cancer risks the National Radiological Protection Board (now the radiation protection division of the Health Protection Agency), the Governments adviser on health related radiation protection matters asked its independent advisory group on ionising radiation to include this information, together with the findings from other relevant research, in the current review of the risks of radon exposure. The report of this review is expected to be published in about six months.

Respite Care (Peterborough)

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps she is taking to improve the provision of respite care in Peterborough constituency; and if she will make a statement.

Andy Burnham: This Government introduced the carers grant in 1999 to support councils in providing breaks and other services for carers in England. The grant is worth £185 million in 2006-07 and will be worth £185 million in 2007-08. Councils can use their share of this money to support carers in a range of ways including in the provision of short breaks or respite care.
	Peterborough's share of the carers grant is £591,333.

Strategic Health Authorities (Information Officers)

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list the chief information officer (CIO) in each strategic health authority since 2002; and what the IT experience was of each CIO.

Rosie Winterton: This information is not held centrally and can be obtained direct from the relevant strategic health authorities.

Tourists (Health Care)

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what provision her Department makes for tourist visitors in estimating likely numbers of patients served by NHS  (a) hospital trusts and  (b) strategic health authorities; and what advice her Department provides to strategic health authorities on allocating funding to hospitals with small local resident populations and high tourist visitor numbers.

Andy Burnham: holding answer 19 June 2006
	The Department makes allocations to primary care trusts (PCTs) based on the needs of their relevant population. PCTs agree service level agreements with national health service providers to ensure the necessary healthcare is available for their populations. If activity is carried out by a NHS provider outside these agreements, for example when an individual is on holiday, then the NHS provider is expected to invoice the individual's PCT for the cost of that activity. No allocations are made to cover the cost of this activity as the cost is already funded from within PCTs' allocations.
	For non-United Kingdom (UK) tourist visitors, entitlement to free NHS hospital treatment is based on whether they are ordinarily resident in this country. NHS providers are required to establish whether a patient is ordinarily resident, or exempt from charges. For charge-exempt non-UK tourists visitors, NHS providers invoice their local PCTs which is subsequently reimbursed for this activity.

Waiting Times

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the  (a) average and  (b) longest waiting time for an (i) initial urology out-patient assessment, (ii) IVU investigation and (iii) in-patient surgery in the urology specialty has been over the last three years.

Andy Burnham: Data on the longest and average time waited for a first out-patient consultant-led appointment following GP referral for urology is shown in the table.
	
		
			  Quarter (March)  21+ weeks  Median (weeks) 
			 2004 11 7.1 
			 2005 5 7.1 
			 2006 6 6.2 
			  Source:  Department of Health form QM08R (Commissioner-based). 
		
	
	Data on the longest and average wait for an in-patient admission for urology is shown in the table.
	
		
			  Quarter (March)  12+ months  Median (weeks) 
			 2004 1 9.1 
			 2005 1 7.3 
			 2006 3 6.2 
			  Source:  Department of Health form QF01 (Commissioner-based). 
		
	
	Waiting times for intravenous urography investigation are not collected separately.

Waiting Times

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of people experienced waits of longer than  (a) two and  (b) four hours in accident and emergency departments in each of the last five years.

Rosie Winterton: The information requested is shown in the table.
	
		
			   Attendances  Percentage > two hours  Percentage > four hours 
			 2002-03 8,909,024 — 20.8 
			 2003-04 16,516,845 — 9.0 
			 2004-05 17,837,180 33.8 3.8 
			 2005-06 18,759,164 34.0 1.8 
			  Source:  QMAE dataset, Department of Health 
		
	
	An operating standard of 98 per cent. has been introduced to allow for the minority of patients that clinically require more than four hours in accident and emergency (A and E).
	The Department collects data on total time spent in A and E departments from arrival to admission, transfer or discharge. The first full set of data was published in quarter two (July to September) 2002-03 and was for major (type one) departments only. All types of A and E department were included in the collection from April 2003.
	Data broken down into hourly time-bands were first collected in quarter one (January to March) 2004-05. Patients waiting more than two hours includes patients in the time-bands two to three hours, three to four hours and more than four hours.

Waiting Times

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the  (a) mean and  (b) median waiting time for an in-patient procedure for the 50 most common specialties has been in each year since 1997.

Andy Burnham: Data on the mean and median waiting times for in-patient admission since 1997 for each specialty has been placed in the Library.

West Herts NHS Trust

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether she has received a capital investment plan from West Herts NHS Trust since 26 January; and if she will make a statement.

Andy Burnham: The "Investing in Your Health" strategic outline case (SOC) for a reconfiguration of acute services in Hertfordshire was received by the Department in 2004. This covered develops to be taken forward by both East and North Hertfordshire national health service trust and the West Hertfordshire NHS trust. For West Hertfordshire NHS trust the options included scaling back services on the Hemel Hempstead site and consolidating services onto the redeveloped site at Watford.
	Following external advice procured by the trusts and their strategic health authorities (SHAs), the projects are now being taken forward separately with both trusts aiming to submit the next stage of their plans, their outline business cases (OBCs), to the Department later this year or early next.
	All major private finance initiative (PFI) schemes in procurement are subject to a revalidation exercise we announced in January 2006. Revalidation will involve comparing the schemes against a number of tests, to ensure that they properly take account of the new financial mechanisms operating in the NHS (such as choice and payment by results), and are properly taking account of activity of the shift away from the acute sector envisaged in the recent White Paper "Our health, our care, our say". The trust's OBC will need to take into account the findings of this work.
	The announcement of decisions following the PFI revalidation will be in two waves. It is anticipated that the announcement for schemes which are most advanced, generally those that have already appointed their preferred bidder, will be in late July. Decisions on the remainder, including East and North Hertfordshire and West Hertfordshire, will be announced later.

Voting Irregularities

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many police investigations into alleged voting irregularities in local government elections have exceeded 18 months in duration without charges being laid in the last five years; which local authorities are involved in such investigations; and if she will make a statement.

Bridget Prentice: The Government do not hold information centrally on where allegations of voting irregularities are being investigated by the police, or how long those investigations take.

Cancer

Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people  (a) were diagnosed with and  (b) died from (i) prostate cancer, (ii) breast cancer, (iii) bowel cancer, (iv) lung cancer, (v) ovarian cancer and (vi) all other cancers in Northern Ireland in each of the last 10 years.

Paul Goggins: Table 1 and 2 detail information on the incidence and deaths due to various cancers in Northern Ireland for the last 10 years for which data was available.
	
		
			  Table 1: Cancer incidence in Northern Ireland 1994-2003 
			   1994  1995  1996  1997  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003 
			  Prostate (C61)   
			 Male 481 510 452 485 492 493 574 543 648 715 
			
			  Breast   
			 Male 6 10 8 2 6 8 6 9 8 7 
			 Female 824 873 838 856 913 944 963 918 944 1,024 
			 Total 830 883 846 858 919 952 969 927 952 1,031 
			
			  Bowel (C18-C21)   
			 Male 483 487 502 454 489 448 459 525 469 556 
			 Female 433 496 466 456 442 459 421 425 454 439 
			 Total 916 983 968 910 931 907 880 950 923 995 
			
			  Trachea, Bronchus and Lung (C33,C34)   
			 Male 624 547 551 551 569 520 520 569 505 508 
			 Female 311 331 308 324 337 360 344 316 364 337 
			 Total 935 878 859 875 906 880 864 885 869 845 
			
			  Ovary (C56)   
			 Female 155 156 150 184 195 183 166 175 187 205 
			
			  All other cancers   
			 Male 2,559 2,520 2,710 2,659 2,674 2,729 2,726 2,714 2,931 2,818 
			 Female 2,412 2,338 2,648 2,540 2,512 2,469 2,563 2,473 2,604 2,610 
			 Total 4,971 4,858 5,358 5,5199 5,186 5,198 5,289 5,187 5,535 5,428 
			
			  All other cancers( 1)   
			 Male 1,502 1,495 1,634 1,537 1,566 1,540 1,561 1,588 1,643 1,527 
			 Female 1,376 1,309 1,490 1,466 1,446 1,397 1,515 1,442 1,515 1,487 
			 Total 2.878 2,804 3,124 3,003 3,012 2,937 3,076 3,030 3,158 3,014 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Cancer deaths in Northern Ireland 1994-2004 
			   1994  1995  1996  1997  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004 
			  Prostate (C61)
			 Male 211 219 206 208 222 205 214 214 192 219 234 
			 
			  Breast (C50)
			 Male 0 2 0 2 2 0 0 2 1 4 0 
			 Female 338 327 305 259 299 298 286 315 278 282 317 
			 Total 338 329 305 261 301 298 286 317 279 286 317 
			 
			  Bowel
			 Male 216 236 214 191 245 201 205 220 202 253 227 
			 Female 225 219 202 221 205 208 221 180 179 214 192 
			 Total 441 455 416 412 450 409 426 400 381 467 419 
			 
			  Trachea, Bronchus and Lung (C33,C34)
			 Male 536 507 523 525 514 526 494 508 491 476 485 
			 Female 271 272 278 281 310 315 346 270 319 327 320 
			 Total 807 779 801 806 824 841 840 778 810 803 805 
			 
			  Ovary (C56)
			 Female 90 99 89 96 89 116 101 117 109 130 120 
			 
			  All other cancers
			 Male 895 881 907 924 947 935 927 979 1,018 949 932 
			 Female 833 731 812 889 835 834 878 867 873 886 829 
			 Total 1,728 1,612 1,719 1,813 1,782 1,769 1,805 1,846 1,891 1,835 1,761 
			 
			  All other cancers( 1)
			 Male 886 878 898 915 940 926 920 974 1,011 941 923 
			 Female 831 727 809 885 830 831 875 852 868 876 822 
			 Total 1,717 1,605 1,707 1,800 1,770 1,757 1,795 1,826 1,879 1,817 1,745 
			 (1 )Excluding non-melanoma skin cancer 
		
	
	This information has been provided by the Northern Ireland Cancer Registry and is the most up to date currently available.

Child Obesity

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many children at  (a) primary school,  (b) high school and  (c) other academic institutions in Northern Ireland are deemed to be (i) overweight and (ii) obese; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Goggins: Information relating to how many children are (i) overweight and (ii) obese in schools and academic institutions is not currently available for all children in Northern Ireland. However such information relating to Primary schools is available for all P1 pupils from the Northern Ireland Child Health Systems. The following table shows the percentage of primary 1 pupils in Northern Ireland, 2003-04, who were overweight or obese.
	
		
			  Northern Ireland 2003-04 
			  Percentage 
			  P1 children  Overweight  Obese 
			 Male 14.3 4.6 
			 Female 19.8 6.9 
			 NI 17.0 5.7 
			  Source:Child Health System (NI) 2003-04 
		
	
	Further information on the height and weight of children and young people was collected as part of the Northern Ireland Health and Social Well-being Survey and will be available later this year.
	The report of the Fit Futures taskforce on tackling obesity in children and young people was publishedin March 2006. The report included over 70 recommendations designed to deliver the public service agreement target to stop the increase in levels of obesity in children by 2010. Responsibility for this target is shared by the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety, the Department of Education and the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure. A response from the Ministerial Group on Public Health to the Fit Futures report, including a comprehensive, cross-departmental implementation plan is currently being developed.

Diabetes

Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people in Northern Ireland have been refused  (a) driving and  (b) taxi licences as insulin-dependent diabetics in each of the last 10 years.

David Cairns: Insulin dependent diabetes is not a prescribed condition and would not prevent an applicant from being granted a licence for a car or motorbike. It is a prescribed condition in respect of large good vehicles and all passenger carrying vehicles including taxis and prohibits the holding of licences for such vehicles. Information on the number of insulin dependent diabetes who have been refused a licence is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Litter/Dumping

Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many reported incidents of illegal dumping there were along the border with the Republic of Ireland in the last six months.

David Cairns: The Environmental Crime section of Environment and Heritage Service investigates all reports of illegal waste activity. Since 1 January 2006, 238 such reports have been received from the seven council areas adjoining the border with the Republic of Ireland, i.e. Armagh, Derry, Dungannon and South Tyrone, Fermanagh, Newry and Mourne, Omagh and Strabane). One offender has already been prosecuted, and there are 106 cases awaiting court hearings.

Motoring Offences

Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many  (a) males and  (b) females were convicted of motoring offences in each district command unit in Northern Ireland in each of the last three years for which information is available.

David Hanson: The table provides the number of males and females convicted of motoring offences in each police district command unit (DCU), for the calendar years 2001-03. It should be noted that the statistics are collated based on the DCU in which an offender's address falls, rather than on the location of the offence. Data beyond 2003 is not yet available.
	
		
			  Convictions for motoring offences by district command unit 2001-03 
			   2001  2002  2003 
			  District command unit  Male  Female  Male  Female  Male  Female 
			 Antrim 334 51 318 61 342 60 
			 Ards 413 79 417 68 448 96 
			 Armagh 395 78 406 58 547 82 
			 Banbridge 206 52 244 43 230 45 
			 East Belfast 424 70 457 65 513 72 
			 North Belfast 692 81 641 82 859 104 
			 South Belfast 426 81 370 67 453 67 
			 West Belfast 502 50 602 67 611 54 
			 Ballymena 397 66 426 73 399 88 
			 Ballymoney 161 34 189 46 246 50 
			 Carrickfergus 279 51 217 61 248 38 
			 Coleraine 295 59 352 55 372 79 
			 Cookstown 245 44 233 38 288 59 
			 Craigavon 541 91 558 100 700 126 
			 Castlereagh 352 54 324 63 361 63 
			 Dungannon and South Tyrone 485 93 330 80 428 81 
			 Down 392 61 374 73 478 84 
			 Fermanagh 459 77 530 68 548 93 
			 Foyle 836 132 740 97 901 127 
			 Larne 205 36 221 41 216 40 
			 Limavady 219 37 247 35 290 48 
			 Lisburn 658 117 663 106 795 124 
			 Magherafelt 229 40 275 42 239 52 
			 Moyle 101 18 140 34 131 22 
			 Newtownabbey 507 79 392 73 487 53 
			 North Down 452 99 556 116 539 95 
			 Newry and Mourne 626 119 525 86 751 142 
			 Omagh 518 83 488 80 531 84 
			 Strabane 375 53 356 43 381 56 
			 Missing 679 78 739 93 717 109 
			 Total 12,403 2,063 12,330 2,014 14,049 2,293 
			  Note:Figures are based on a principal offence rule.

Police Bodies (Security Incident)

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people had their details leaked to parliamentary organisations as a result of the breach of security in  (a) the Northern Ireland Police Fund and  (b) the Police Rehabilitation and Retraining Trust.

Paul Goggins: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Member for St. Helens, South (Mr. Woodward) on 6 June 2005,  Official Report, column 370W, to the hon. Member for Lagan Valley (Mr. Donaldson).

Road Safety

Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of speed cameras on main roads in Northern Ireland in reducing the incidence of speeding.

Paul Goggins: The provision of safety cameras on Northern Ireland roads accounts for only one of the many strands of road safety initiatives conducted by both police and other statutory agencies.
	While police activity is concentrated upon enforcement, they also engage with the public to educate and inform, and also liaise with the Department for Regional Development to ensure that the road infrastructure in Northern Ireland is as safe as possible.
	In the last five years, there has been a downward trend in the numbers of injury collisions from 8,388 in 2000, to a total of 4,947 in 2005. As approximately44 per cent. of the injuries received are directly attributable to collisions in which excess speed is the major causation factor, targeting excess speed remains a priority for the PSNI.
	Initial findings into the evaluation of the effectiveness of the fixed site safety cameras shows that in the two years immediately preceding the launch of the Safety Camera Scheme, there were 11 killed and seriously injured (KSI) collisions at the locations of the four fixed site safety cameras. In the two years post-launch, this number had fallen to six KSI collisions at the same sites.
	Further evaluation into the effectiveness of fixed and mobile safety camera operation at sites throughout Northern Ireland is being carried out by the PSNI and the findings will be included in a report that will be made available in due course on the PSNI website.

School Buildings

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland further to the answer of19 December 2005,  Official Report, columns 2596-98W, on school buildings, what progress has been made in relation to the commencement of building work for the new  (a) Foyle and Londonderry college and  (b) Ebrington primary school.

Maria Eagle: A comprehensive redevelopment master plan for the former military lands at Clooney will be published by the Department for Social Development. The master plan involved public consultation and liaison with key stakeholders, including Foyle and Londonderry college and Ebrington primary school. The procurement routes for the schools announced for capital funding in March are being announced today and this will enable planning of new schools for Foyle and Londonderry college and Ebrington primary school to go forward.

Seatbelts

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what advice he has provided to education and library boards in Northern Ireland regarding the wearing of seatbelts on school buses.

Maria Eagle: European Union legislation requires that all new non-urban buses (such as those in education and library board fleets) must be fitted with seat belts as standard. Boards have, since 2000, been purchasing all new vehicles fully fitted with seat belts. At present 65 per cent. of all board fleet vehicles have seat belts fitted. That figure should rise to 70 per cent. of the fleet once the latest order for new buses has been met. In addition, all new vehicles purchased by the Boards have a recorded safety announcement fitted as standard, which reminds pupils of the need to wear their seatbelts.
	When hiring private operator vehicles, Boards also endeavour to ensure that they are fitted with seat belts. All taxi operator services, including black taxis, must have seatbelts fitted to be eligible to provide home to school transport services.
	Finally, parents and pupils are advised of the requirement to wear seatbelts in the Safe School Travel booklet, produced jointly by Boards and Translink. This booklet clearly indicates that seatbelts, when provided, must be worn at all times whether the pupil travels by bus or taxi.

Teacher Training

Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many teacher training places were available in each of the last 10 years; how many people entered training in each year; and how many qualified.

Maria Eagle: The Department of Education determines the number of students to be admitted each year to initial teacher education (ITE) courses in Northern Ireland. This is achieved by means of the teacher demand model—a statistical exercise which takes account of a number of factors, including: projected pupil enrolments in the various sectors; teacher wastage rates; and, pupil teacher ratios. The end product provides a projection of teacher vacancies and the consequent requirements for intakes into ITE courses.
	Data on students enrolled and gaining qualifications from Northern Ireland Higher Education Institutions have been obtained from the Higher Education Statistics Agency. Data for the 2005-06 academic year will not be available until early 2007, the latest available data refers to 2004-05.
	The approved intakes, first year enrolments and the numbers qualifying from the four locally established Higher Education Institutions are as follows:
	
		
			  Initial Teacher Training Statistics—Northern Ireland Higher Education Institutions 
			   Approved intakes  Enrolled  Qualified 
			 1996-97 687 683 753 
			 1997-98 680 644 644 
			 1998-99 726 680 649 
			 1999-2000 787 750 635 
			 2000-01 825 798 700 
			 2001-02 830 833 716 
			 2002-03 851 858 772 
			 2003-04 856 873 779 
			 2004-05 850 840 804 
			 2005-06 816 (1)— (1)— 
			 (1 )Not yet available.

Terrorist Attacks

Ian Paisley: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many  (a) residential,  (b) industrial and  (c) commercial premises were damaged by terrorist attack by (i) Republican paramilitary groups and (ii) Loyalist paramilitary groups in each of the last 30 years.

Paul Goggins: Statistical information on security-related incidents including bombings and incendiary attacks in Northern Ireland between 1969-2006 is as follows:
	
		
			  Security-Related Incidents 1969- 2006 (updated on 9 May 2006) 
			Bombings( 2)  Incendiaries( 3) 
			   Shooting( 1) incidents  Incidents  Devices used  Incidents  Devices used 
			 1969 73 n/a 10 n/a 0 
			 1970 213 n/a 170 n/a 0 
			 1971 1,756 n/a 1,5.15 n/a 0 
			 1972 10,631 n/a 1,853 n/a 0 
			 1973 5,019 n/a 1,520 n/a 0 
			 1974 3,208 n/a 1,113 n/a 270 
			 1975 1,803 n/a 635 n/a 56 
			 1976 1,908 n/a 1,192 n/a 236 
			 1977 1,081 n/a 535 n/a 608 
			 1978 755 n/a 633 n/a 115 . 
			 1979 728 n/a 564 n/a 60 
			 1980 642 n/a 400 n/a 2 
			 1981 1,142 n/a 529 n/a 49 
			 1982 547 n/a 332 n/a 36 
			 1983 424 n/a 367 n/a 43 
			 1984 334 n/a 248 n/a 10 
			 1985 238 n/a 215 n/a 36 
			 1986 392 n/a 254 n/a 21 
			 1987 674 n/a 384 n/a 9 
			 1988 538 n/a 458 n/a 8 
			 1989 566 n/a 420 n/a 7 
			 1990 557 236 286 26 33 
			 1991 499 312 368 144 237 
			 1992 506 318 371 86 126 
			 1993 476 257 289 45 61 
			 1994 348 207 222 88 115 
			 1995 50 2 2 10 10 
			 1996 125 17 25 4 4 
			 1997 225 78 93 9 9 
			 1998 211 127 243 20 20 
			 1999 125 82 100 7 7 
			 2000 302 117 135 9 22 
			 2001 355 349 444 5 6 
			 2002 350 188 239 3 3 
			 2003 229 77 88 8 8 
			 2004 185 64 69 21 28 
			 2005 167 83 105 9 9 
			 2005(4) 34 5 5 8 8 
			 2006(4) 23 3 3 0 0 
			 (1) The following types of shooting incidents are included:Shots fired by terroristsShots fired by the security forcesParamilitary-style attacks involving shootingsShots heard (and later confirmed)Other violent incidents where shots are fired (e.g. armed robbery)(2) An individual bombing incident may involve one or more explosive devices. Incidents recorded include explosions and defusings (devices used). Incidents involving hoax devices, petrol bombings or incendiaries are excluded.(3) Incidents recorded include explosions and defusings (devices used).(4) To 31 March. Note:2006 statistics are provisional and may be subject to minor amendment.

Vehicle Testing Agency

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the current average waiting time is for each category of vehicle test and driving test carried out for the Vehicle Testing Agency; what the Agency's performance target is for each category of test; and if he will make a statement.

David Cairns: Waiting times are only measured against an overall target for vehicle tests and driving tests carried out by the Driver and Vehicle Testing Agency. The current average waiting time for all categories of vehicle test is 37 days and for all categories of driving test, 38 days. The target average waiting times are 21 days and 23 days respectively.

Water Pollution

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people have been prosecuted for polluting Northern Ireland waterways in each of the last five years.

David Cairns: The number of prosecutions for water pollution offences which occurred during each of the years 2001-05 are as follows.
	Because it can take over a year for a case to come to court, a number of prosecution cases from 2005 and some from 2004 are still pending a verdict in court. These pending prosecutions are included in the figures provided.
	
		
			  Year in which pollution offence occurred  Number of prosecutions 
			 2001 109 
			 2002 101 
			 2003 123 
			 2004 (1)65 
			 2005 (2)42 
			 (1) Plus 15 cases pending(2) Plus 28 cases pending 
		
	
	It should be noted that, between 1996 and 2005, there was a reduction in the number of water pollution incidents from 2,055 to 1,175, a reduction of some43 per cent.

Water Poverty

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment he has made of the impact on those defined in Northern Ireland as water poor as measured by the percentage of income spent on water of changes in charges for water over the period 2009-10; and what his estimate is of the change in the percentage of the population paying more than 3 per cent. of their income on water charges in each year of that period.

David Cairns: Government have recognised that the introduction of water and sewerage charges in Northern Ireland will have an impact on low-income households. To ease the transition, and in recognition of the relatively high levels of poverty and disadvantage in Northern Ireland, the Government's broad objective is to ensure that low-income households, particularly pensioner households, should not need to spend more than 3 per cent. of their income on water and sewerage services.
	To achieve this objective, a special affordability tariff has been developed for those households who are entitled to certain social security benefits (housing benefit or rate rebate) or equivalent provision for "relevant children" as defined in the Children (Leaving Care) Act NI 2002, or the new Special Rate Relief Scheme being developed within the context of the reform of rates policy in Northern Ireland. The affordability tariff is a capped tariff which has been calculated by reference to the single person's pension credit guarantee, which is updated by Parliament each year. In 2007-08 this means there will be a maximum water and sewerage bill, for properties valued at £100,000 of approx £180 (which is 3 per cent. of the estimated pension credit guarantee in that year—around £6,000) with additional protection in the form of lower levels of capped charges set for those with properties valued at less than £100,000.
	Those occupying property valued at less than £70,000 will pay 50 per cent. of the full affordability tariff, while those in property valued between £70,000 and £100,000 will pay 75 per cent. of the tariff. As the charges will be phased in over three years this will mean that the maximum bill for eligible low-income customers in 2007-08 will be £30, £45 or £60, linked to the value of the property, rising to around £95, £145 and £190 in 2009-10, depending on the pension credit guarantee income level at that time.
	The affordability tariff for 2009-10 will be calculated on the basis of the uprated level of the single person pension credit guarantee income level thus continuing to ensure that eligible households will pay no more that 3 per cent. of their income on water and sewerage charges. Many households will pay significantly less.
	Data linking individual properties to household income is not available. It is therefore not possible to determine precisely the proportion of the population whose water bill will represent any given percentage of their household income. However it is estimated that around 200,000, close to 30 per cent. of all households will benefit from the affordability tariff and that this number will not change significantly each year. The implementation of the affordability tariff will be closely monitored and reviewed when charges are fully phased in by 2009-10 and the Department will collate all relevant data to assess the scheme against income levels at that time.

Education Act 1996 (Prosecutions)

Stephen Byers: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many prosecutions were brought under section 7 of the Education Act 1996 in each year between 2001 and 2003.

Jim Knight: Home Office data for the period 2001-03 shows:
	In 2001, there were 6,622 prosecutions in England and Wales under the Education Act 1996. These include:
	2,243 prosecutions for truancy under section 444(1);
	4,379 prosecutions for various offences under the Education Act. These are likely to include some prosecutions under sections 444(1) and (1A).
	In 2002, there were 7,075 prosecutions in England and Wales under the Education Act 1996. These include:
	3,445 prosecutions for truancy under section 444(1);
	3,625 prosecutions for various offences under the Education Act. These are likely to include some prosecutions under sections 444(1) and (1A);
	four prosecutions for child employment offences;
	one prosecution for neglecting the cleanliness of a pupil.
	In 2003, there were 7,264 prosecutions in England and Wales under the Education Act 1996. These include:
	3,732 prosecutions for truancy under section 444(1);
	387 prosecutions for truancy under section 444 (1A) (the aggravated offence);
	3,142 prosecutions for various offences under the Education Act. These are likely to include some prosecutions under sections 444(1) and (1A);
	three prosecutions for child employment offences.
	Prosecutions for truancy related to section 7 are brought under section 444 of the Education Act 1996.

Horticultural Courses

John Pugh: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what Government  (a) funding has been made available and  (b) initiatives have been undertaken for (i) in-service and (ii) full-time funding for horticultural courses for 16 to 18-year-olds since 1997.

Jim Knight: Full data for the funding made available for horticulture for 16 to 18-year-olds is available for 2004/05 only. In that year the Learning and Skills Council, which provides Government funding for 16-18 education spent £225,000 on horticulture courses through further education provision and £2,425,000 through work-based learning provision, including apprenticeships—a total of £2,650,000. This figure cannot be broken down into full-time and in-service figures. Other land-based and environmental provision, which may include aspects of horticulture has also been funded by the LSC.
	The Government have also invested £1.4 million since 2001 in the Growing Schools initiative, which encourages all schools to provide learning activities which enable pupils to gain knowledge and understanding about the outdoor environment through first-hand experience of growing, farming and the countryside—within and beyond the school. The expenditure on this cannot be broken down to show 16 to 18-year-olds separately.

School Administration

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  how many tasks identified by the Making a Difference-Red Tape and Bureaucracy In Schools Second Report have been removed;
	(2)  whether he plans to publish a further report pursuant to Making a Difference-Red Tape and Bureaucracy in Schools 2003, which reviews the impact of initiatives introduced since this publication.

Jim Knight: holding answer 19 June 2006
	The DfES Simplification Plan that will be published later in the year will detail reductions in bureaucracy and administrative burdens that are referred to in this report, some of which have been superseded. The Simplification Plan will detail policies for reducing burdens on 'front line' staff working in the area of education and training across all sectors: public, voluntary, businesses and charities. In schools, our intention is that the Simplification Plan will cover reduced communications from the centre; the New Relationships with Schools programme; funding rationalisation; simplified inspection; less data requests and simplification arising from the Education Act.
	As a Department, we remain determined to make sure our policies have the maximum impact on standards with the minimum burden on schools. That is why we set up the Implementation Review Unit in April 2003 to review the implementation of existing and new policy initiatives, covering all organisations that impact on schools in England. The panel provides feedback on policy implementation, challenges existing systems, and is a sounding board on innovation.
	The Department is also developing the New Relationship with Schools. This has led to a new framework for school inspection and introduced School Improvement Partners to work with headteachers to raise standards and attainment. We have also developed a data protocol with many external partners, to ensure that only essential data is collected, that it is collected by sample wherever possible and that it is collected only once and then used many times.

Schools

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills when he expects head teachers to receive the direct payments to their schools announced in the 2006 Budget.

Jim Knight: Additional funding for schools of£220 million in 2006-07, rising to £365 million in 2007-08, was announced in the 2006 Budget, to support personalised learning at key stages 1-4. The funding will be paid to schools in September as an addition to their Schools Standards Grant. An interactive calculator is available on the Teachernet website to enable schools to calculate their share of this new grant.

Supply Teachers

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much was spent on supply teaching staff in schools in each of the past three years, broken down by  (a) region and  (b) local education authority.

Jim Knight: The information requested is given in the following tables:
	
		
			   2002-03  2003-04  2004-05( 1) 
			  England 872,199,207 857,659,959 841,153,918 
			 
			  London 192,504,775 174,210,241 165,741,453 
			 Barking and Dagenham 6,342,071 6,480,794 5,021,157 
			 Barnet 5,822,726 5,932,850 6,732,767 
			 Bexley 6,902,854 6,003,924 5,717,575 
			 Brent 5,904,467 6,308,898 6,466,188 
			 Bromley 4,168,166 3,725,692 3,615,931 
			 Camden 3,692,664 2,959,824 3,073,579 
			 City of London 196,180 159,346 60,808 
			 Croydon 6,483,707 5,792,979 5,242,878 
			 Ealing 6,087,907 6,304,299 5,265,439 
			 Enfield 7,455,614 6,688,768 6,272,253 
			 Greenwich 7,730,532 6,926,381 6,301,807 
			 Hackney 11,163,874 6,732,779 5,796,796 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 3,040,697 2,775,313 2,729,385 
			 Haringey 5,850,256 6,089,639 6,406,035 
			 Harrow 4,815,210 4,572,858 4,657,817 
			 Havering 5,163,048 4,291,674 3,884,137 
			 Hillingdon 6,213,610 6,622,047 5,745,498 
			 Hounslow 6,669,159 5,575,702 5,062,690 
			 Islington 6,157,939 5,079,742 5,247,734 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 2,205,818 1,935,375 1,854,282 
			 Kingston-upon-Thames 2,047,981 1,708,962 1,772,918 
			 Lambeth 6,058,555 5,798,520 5,605,090 
			 Lewisham 6,483,772 5,470,784 6,182,798 
			 Merton 4,793,535 4,016,431 3,742,865 
			 Newham 14,831,074 12,148,516 9,934,621 
			 Redbridge 4,633,562 5,595,180 4,884,340 
			 Richmond-upon-Thames 2,732,449 2,678,863 2,888,739 
			 Southwark 7,940,104 6,961,532 7,257,142 
			 Sutton 3,440,677 3,294,255 3,484,733 
			 Tower Hamlets 10,829,854 9,711,020 8,792,489 
			 Waltham Forest 7,291,731 7,424,228 7,115,083 
			 Wandsworth 4,523,888 4,223,139 4,404,458 
			 Westminster 4,831,094 4,219,927 4,521,421 
			 
			  South East 105,864,154 106,688,199 106,942,938 
			 Bracknell Forest 1,401,952 1,323,772 1,334,443 
			 Brighton and Hove 3,342,287 3,387,953 3,264,822 
			 Buckinghamshire 6,796,477 6,997,431 6,682,161 
			 East Sussex 6,711,979 6,440,541 6,859,342 
			 Hampshire 16,801,192 17,987,049 17,986,262 
			 Isle of Wight 1,869,054 1,714,479 1,602,236 
			 Kent 20,349,846 19,716,876 19,009,416 
			 Medway 4,485,826 4,357,296 4,649,416 
			 Milton Keynes 2,532,398 2,616,343 2,949,245 
			 Oxfordshire 5,143,555 5,383,188 6,809,794 
			 Portsmouth 2,626,91 1 2,883,436 2,717,442 
			 Reading 1,802,193 1,599,611 1,606,863 
			 Slough 2,488,676 2,370,157 2,371,687 
			 Southampton 3,085,938 2,898,124 2,970,360 
			 Surrey 9,399,379 10,343,822 10,855,936 
			 West Berkshire 1,771,194 2,256,493 2,031,289 
			 West Sussex 11,208,980 10,755,034 9,534,002 
			 Windsor and Maidenhead 1,829,103 1,774,269 1,834,608 
			 Wokingham 2,217,214 1,882,325 1,873,614 
			 
			  South West 67,647,040 68,368,861 72,714,824 
			 Bath and NE Somerset 3,061,260 2,833,222 2,931,259 
			 Bournemouth 2,171,960 1,790,616 1,613,186 
			 City of Bristol 7,102,974 6,921,092 7,343,507 
			 City of Plymouth 3,546,601 3,451,275 3,582,614 
			 Cornwall 6,649,523 6,859,549 7,582,987 
			 Devon 7,835,761 8,977,190 9,280,069 
			 Dorset 4,433,056 3,606,389 4,647,667 
			 Gloucestershire 6,536,756 7,738,693 7,853,824 
			 Isles of Scilly 32,497 61,078 40,421 
			 North Somerset 3,018,743 3,288,513 3,220,563 
			 Poole 1,735,653 1,542,539 1,760,102 
			 Somerset 7,100,814 6,528,222 7,262,664 
			 South Gloucestershire 4,734,913 4,543,255 5,074,801 
			 Swindon 2,305,219 2,673,858 2,909,325 
			 Torbay 1,773,257 1,894,133 1,915,623 
			 Wiltshire 5,608,053 5,659,237 5,696,212 
			 
			  Eastern 82,180,217 77,541,424 77,106,055 
			 Bedfordshire 5,607,774 5,184,011 4,959,144 
			 Cambridgeshire 6,905,401 6,454,550 6,868,461 
			 City of Peterborough 2,582,505 2,428,294 2,517,556 
			 Essex 19,589,160 18,419,234 17,708,263 
			 Hertfordshire 18,166,803 16,497,068 16,481,292 
			 Luton 4,294,695 4,251,126 3,878,987 
			 Norfolk 10,163,524 10,286,700 10,213,619 
			 Southend 2,103,972 2,079,350 2,125,689 
			 Suffolk 9,898,766 9,475,736 9,802,709 
			 Thurrock 2,867,617 2,465,355 2,550,335 
			 
			  East Midlands 73,453,669 73,741,762 73,261,151 
			 City of Nottingham 5,797,100 6,166,563 4,735,269 
			 Derby 3,952,051 4,808,404 4,491,402 
			 Derbyshire 11,828,650 11,616,492 11,399,443 
			 Leicester City 7,018,378 6,248,946 6,507,097 
			 Leicestershire 11,298,811 10,263,408 9,975,798 
			 Lincolnshire 10,420,464 10,924,325 11,347,712 
			 Northamptonshire 8,876,182 8,774,484 9,503,745 
			 Nottinghamshire 13,848,266 14,502,534 14,935,496 
			 Rutland 413,767 436,606 365,189 
			 
			  West Midlands 95,426,992 97,680,708 96,328,244 
			 Birmingham 24,553,860 24,261,256 23,591,556 
			 Coventry 5,534,249 5,371,232 5,420,226 
			 Dudley 4,526,555 4,429,604 4,801,524 
			 Herefordshire 1,986,692 2,049,539 2,301,238 
			 Sandwell 6,745,291 6,963,451 7,244,263 
			 Shropshire 3,979,666 4,836,590 4,445,178 
			 Solihull 3,212,881 3,624,289 3,925,505 
			 Staffordshire 11,810,709 11,499,359 11,241,740 
			 Stoke 3,659,563 4,956,489 4,482,632 
			 Telford and Wrekin 3,130,647 3,010,022 2,795,281 
			 Walsall 6,792,923 5,916,253 6,042,019 
			 Warwickshire 9,047,430 9,307,806 8,239,812 
			 Wolverhampton 3,148,503 3,612,131 3,921,609 
			 Worcestershire 7,298,023 7,842,687 7,875,661 
			 
			  North East 40,976,320 45,062,152 44,643,332 
			 Darlington 1,649,698 1,820,237 1,752,690 
			 Durham 7,685,966 8,030,415 7,439,158 
			 Gateshead 3,360,930 2,807,159 3,087,005 
			 Hartlepool 1,635,187 2,033,102 1,497,256 
			 Middlesbrough 1,847,403 2,026,766 1,667,624 
			 Newcastle upon Tyne 2,143,697 4,697,454 4,772,143 
			 North Tyneside 3,627,185 3,348,164 3,237,132 
			 Northumberland 6,070,706 5,778,782 6,589,125 
			 Redcar and Cleveland 2,417,405 2,565,833 2,361,027 
			 South Tyneside 2,773,456 3,447,248 3,005,467 
			 Stockton-on-Tees 3,294,656 3,335,945 3,300,609 
			 Sunderland 4,470,031 5,171,047 5,934,096 
			 
			  North West and Merseyside 121,556,703 120,771,433 112,718,773 
			 Blackburn and Darwen 2,587,758 2,392,816 2,592,427 
			 Blackpool 1,750,793 2,002,330 1,937,385 
			 Bolton 4,907,139 4,600,682 4,367,810 
			 Bury 343,228 3,666,116 3,431,305 
			 Cheshire 8,357,141 9,488,781 8,836,571 
			 Cumbria 4,864,140 9,276,272 6,439,682 
			 Halton 1,796,927 1,837,141 596,473 
			 Knowsley 3,313,105 3,583,136 2,772,226 
			 Lancashire 17,483,688 18,584,742 17,751,458 
			 Liverpool 19,111,246 9,263,148 7,899,266 
			 Manchester 7,179,109 7,186,609 6,843,899 
			 Oldham 4,695,222 4,781,450 4,672,029 
			 Rochdale 3,937,158 4,108,215 4,198,012 
			 Salford 3,607,949 4,121,234 4,206,410 
			 Sefton 6,766,986 5,633,750 5,576,310 
			 St Helens 3,108,740 3,186,598 3,533,601 
			 Stockport 3,332,827 3,394,973 3,938,980 
			 Tameside 3,446,930 3,342,267 3,173,763 
			 Trafford 2,905,049 2,754,734 2,571,819 
			 Warrington 4,462,554 3,295,558 2,723,370 
			 Wigan 5,820,517 6,707,078 7,327,009 
			 Wirral 7,778,497 7,563,803 7,328,968 
			 
			  Yorkshire and Humberside 92,589,337 93,595,179 91,697,148 
			 Barnsley 2,998,751 4,076,932 4,519,890 
			 Bradford 10,942,510 11,668,785 11,727,653 
			 Calderdale 4,066,230 4,080,759 4,020,693 
			 City of Kingston-upon-Hull 5,264,822 4,872,398 4,244,467 
			 Doncaster 5,048,004 4,794,200 5,169,487 
			 East Riding of Yorkshire 5,524,437 4,750,238 4,715,274 
			 Kirklees 7,451,331 7,518,373 8,075,906 
			 Leeds 12,538,977 12,689,947 9,914,878 
			 North East Lincolnshire 3,042,650 2,903,235 2,763,872 
			 North Lincolnshire 2,577,469 2,773,134 2,781,530 
			 North Yorkshire 10,383,371 10,098,780 9,858,887 
			 Rotherham 5,608,483 5,908,972 5,773,272 
			 Sheffield 9,909,905 10,129,855 10,064,397 
			 Wakefield 4,600,695 4,865,454 5,470,721 
			 York 2,631,702 2,464,117 2,596,221 
			 (1) The figures are taken from the section 52 outturn data set for 2004-05. Cash term figures are as reported at 15 June and are subject to change by the local authority.   Notes:  1. Includes: (a) salaries and wages for supply teaching staff employed directly by the school who are covering curriculum release, long term absence, sickness absence and training absence; (b) the cost paid to an agency for teaching staff that have been brought in to cover teacher absence; (c) and the cost of insurance premiums for supply staff less any receipts from supply teacher insurance.  2. Includes only expenditure by LA maintained primary, secondary and special schools. Nursery school expenditure was not collected in full until 2004-05. The comparable nursery school figure for England for 2004-05 was £4.3 million. Central local authority expenditure on supply teachers is not recorded separately and is therefore excluded from this table.

Sure Start

Joan Ruddock: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many under-fives entitled to free nursery places on the Sure Start scheme are on waiting lists in  (a) Lewisham, Deptford constituency and  (b) Lewisham borough.

Beverley Hughes: The Information requested is not collected centrally.
	Since April 2004, local authorities have had a statutory duty to secure sufficient nursery education places for all three and four-year-olds whose parents want one. The free nursery education entitlement consists of a minimum of 12. 5 hours per week for 38 weeks of the year and will be extended to 15 hours a week by 2010. By that time, parents who wish to do so will also be able to access the free entitlement flexibly across a minimum of three days.
	Provisional national figures show that, in January 2006, almost all four-year-old children benefit from some free provision. The figure for three-year-olds is 96 per cent. The provisional figures for January 2006 were published in Statistical First Release 17/2006 "Provision for children under five years of age in England—January 2006 (provisional)" on 27 April 2006 and are available on my Department's website www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgateway/
	The available information on the number of free places taken up by three and four-year-olds in Lewisham local authority area is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Number of free nursery education places( 1)  taken up by three and four-year-olds, Lewisham local authority 
			   3-year-olds  4-year-olds 
			  Position in January  Maintained nursery and primary schools( 2)  Other maintained and private, voluntary and independent providers  Total 3-year-olds  Maintained nursery and primary schools( 3)  Other maintained and private, voluntary and independent providers  Total 4-year-olds 
			 2005 1,700 810 2,510 2,600 300 2,900 
			 (1) Figures are rounded to the nearest 10 or 100 as appropriate.  (2) Headcount of children aged three at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the Annual Schools' Census.  (3) Headcount of children aged four at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the Annual Schools' Census.   Notes:  1. Part-time equivalent number of children aged three at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the Early Years Census and the Annual Schools Census.  2. Part-time equivalent number of children aged four at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the Early Years Census and the Annual Schools' Census. 
		
	
	Related information on the number of free places taken up by three and four-year-olds in Lewisham, Deptford parliamentary constituency area is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Number of free nursery education places( 1)  taken up by three and four-year-olds, Lewisham, Deptford parliamentary constituency 
			   3-year-olds  4-year-olds 
			  Position in January each year  Maintained nursery and primary schools( 2)  Other maintained and private, voluntary and independent providers( 3)  Total 3-year-olds  Maintained nursery and primary schools( 4)  Other maintained and private, voluntary and independent providers( 5)  Total 4-year-olds 
			 2005 640 300 940 890 120 1,000 
			 (1) Figures are rounded to the nearest 10 or 100 as appropriate.  (2) Headcount of children aged three at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the Annual Schools' Census.  (3) Part-time equivalent number of children aged three at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the Early Years Census and the Annual Schools' Census.  (4) Headcount of children aged four at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the Annual Schools' Census.  (5) Part-time equivalent number of children aged four at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the Early Years Census and the Annual Schools' Census.

Identity Fraud

Bill Olner: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many cases of identity fraud using the details of a deceased person were recorded in each of the last five years;
	(2)  what percentage of impersonation cases involved the use of identities belonging to deceased people in the last year that figures are available.

Joan Ryan: The Government takes the problem of identity fraud very seriously and there is a range of criminal offences in place to combat this problem, such as the deception offences in the Theft Act 1968 and 1978. On seven June 2006 we also brought into force sections 25 and 26 of the Identity Cards Act 2006 which creates new criminal offences of being in possession or control of false identity documents. These offences relate to a wide range of identity documents, including passports, driving licences, ID cards and immigration documents. The maximum penalty is 10 years imprisonment for an offence of possession with intent to use the document for establishing registrable facts (about the individual), and two years imprisonment for possession without reasonable excuse.
	The number of criminal offences committed each year using the identity of a deceased person is not recorded centrally. But identity fraud questions have been incorporated into the British Crime Survey and the results should give us more information on the number of victims and the types of fraud that are being committed. In addition, CIFAS, the UK's Fraud Prevention Service for the private sector (mainly financial services companies), has conducted research into the extent of impersonation of deceased person fraud and has estimated that there were approximately 17,500 cases in 2001, 35,000 in 2002, 56,000 in 2003 and 70,000 in 2004. The 2004 figure represents 58 per cent. of the estimated 120,000 incidents of identity and impersonation fraud identified by CIFAS members in 2004.
	The Government have been working with the public and private sector to look at ways to reduce impersonation of deceased person fraud. An amendment to the Police and Justice Bill was introduced at Report stage in the House of Commons on 10 May 2006, which will allow Registrars General in England, Wales and Northern Ireland to supply timely death registration information in bulk to the police and other organisations for use in the prevention, detection, investigation and prosecution of offences.

People Trafficking

Shailesh Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much money was seized by the Assets Recovery Agency from those offenders charged with crimes relating to human trafficking in each year since its inception.

Vernon Coaker: The Assets Recovery Agency (ARA) is currently investigating two cases where the alleged criminality relates to human trafficking. In the first investigation ARA have frozen assets to the value of £1.4 million. In the second case the subject is currently serving a prison sentence and the value of any potential assets has yet to be determined. ARA have not recovered money from civil or taxation cases relating to human trafficking to date.
	Separately, a multi-agency task force set up to combat organised immigration crime, known as REFLEX, seized criminal assets totalling £5.57 million in 2004-05. Figures for 2005-06 are not yet available.

Police

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many complaints were made to the Independent Police Complaints Commission in respect of each police force in each year since the Commission's inception; how many were  (a) upheld and  (b) rejected; and if he will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: holding answer 14 June 2006
	The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) is responsible for the management of the police complaints system. I will ensure that the Chairman receives a copy of the question and replies to you directly. Copies of the letter containing the IPCC's response will be placed in the Library.

Police

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many hours of safety training was provided per police officer in each of the last five years.

Tony McNulty: Under the foundation training programme delivered by the Central Police Training and Development Authority (Centrex) all police recruits received 27 hours of personal safety training under the Centrex personal safety programme. This training has now been incorporated within the Initial Police Leaning and Development Programme (IPLDP), which moves probationer training away from regional centres and back into force so that officers are trained in the community that they serve.
	Under the new programme, refresher training is provided to each officer on an annual basis. Advanced personal safety training may be provided by individual forces: The nature of this training will largely be determined by the specific demands of the role being performed by the officer in question and it is not therefore possible to provide a per officer figure.

Prisons

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the availability of class A drugs in category D prison establishments; what action he is taking to reduce the availability of drugs in prisons; and if he will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The best measure of drug misuse in prisons is provided by the random mandatory drug testing programme. The percentage positive rate for Class A drugs in category D prisons' in 2005-06 was4.4 per cent. A comprehensive series of measures is in place to reduce the availability of drugs, from which establishments draw, based on local need.

Prisons

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many managed moves at senior operational level in the Prison Service there were in each of the last three years; and for what reasons policy was changed in July 2005 to require all such moves to be approved by the Director of operations.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The number of managed moves at senior operational level over the period in question is contained in the following table. These figures relate to senior operational managers (senior governor grades in paybands A to D). There are no figures available before April 2004. The policy of all managed appointments at senior operational level being approved by the director of operations or the deputy director general was introduced in a Prison Service order on five July 2004. The order was published to advise staff of the appropriate levels of authority for the approval of managed appointments. Decisions about managed moves at this level are taken by operational directors acting as members of the Prison Service succession planning committee. There have been no changes to the managed appointment policy since this date.
	
		
			  Number of managed moves at senior operational level in the public sector Prison Service for England and Wales between April 2004 and May 2006 
			  Period  Number of managed moves 
			 April-December 2004 13 
			 January-December 2005 52 
			 January-May 2006 29

Respect Areas

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to designate 'Respect Areas' in  (a) England and  (b) Wales; how those areas will be defined; and which locations he plans to designate.

John Reid: Over the next 12 months, we will be inviting areas from across England and Wales (not designating them) to demonstrate their commitment to their communities to tackling antisocial behaviourby signing up to key components of the RespectAction Plan.